Regional Ombudsmen compare notes

Belize’s office of the Ombudsman played host this week to its counterparts from the around region. And as News Five found out, despite the variations in country size and population, many of the complaints the ombudsmen investigate share common causes and cures. News Five’s Karla Vernon was at the Princess Hotel this afternoon for the wrap up of the sessions and some last minute sharing of views.

Karla Vernon, Reporting
Over the past three days, Ombudsmen from Central America and two special guests from the Caribbean have been comparing notes on issues of common concern. Belize?s Ombudsman, Paul Rodriguez, says these regular meetings are not just about networking, but about finding strength in numbers.

Paul Rodriguez, Ombudsman, Belize
?The conference really has several themes, several issues that we are working on. But the ones I find most exciting are the integration of the Central American Ombudsman Conference and the Caribbean Ombudsman Association. I think that this would give us a stronger voice on the international scene, because Central America is seven ombudsmen and the Caribbean is eleven. So that would be eighteen strong voices talking out in favour of different issues that Central America and the Caribbean share.?

Among the main topics this week was domestic violence and even murder.

Paul Rodriguez
?The issue of what we call femicido in Spanish, but actually it?s homicide against women that are gender-based and violence against women in general. We are doing a research, Central America is doing a research on this, and Belize is taking part in this research. I have been greatly assisted by Department of Women, specifically Carol Fonseca, in doing this. We are going to submit our research paper to them and there will be a gathering of experts who have done work on the issue of femicide.?

Hayden Thomas represented the Caribbean Ombudsman Association. He says problems differ in each country, but the underlying theme is human rights.

Hayden Thomas, Ombudsman, Antigua
?In my own country and to a large extent in the Caribbean as a whole, the ombudsman is appointed, or elected as the case may be to deal with complaints from the public against government officials. We have been concentrating on problems pertaining to maladministration. Although we haven?t got a specific human rights mandate as they do in some of the Central American countries. However, it is implicit in that virtually?well human rights affects everybody if you have problems of people not getting paid on time or people are not getting their land certificate, or what have you. It?s a human right that has been violated in some way.?

For Thomas, his job is about keeping the politicians in line and empowering the ordinary citizen.

Hayden Thomas
?Politicians in office for a long time somehow tend to lose their way in one way or other. So it is good that there is some body that the population could have some confidence in, to whom they can go with their problems. Sometimes people only want a shoulder to cry on, somebody that they can speak to, who they can understand and who of course will make recommendations for adjustments as much as possible.?

Ramon Custodio Lopez is President of the Central American Ombudsman Conference. He seeks to represent Hondurans both at home and when they are in trouble abroad.

Ramon Custodio Lopez, Ombudsman, Honduras
?We have been discussing the problems with migrants to the United States. We know that migrants have some problems in the transit. For example, they get across Guatemala, they get across Mexico or Belize. This morning we visited the jail in Belize to see our nationals and what petitions they have.?

?Honduras has much poverty because the, poverty, one of the main problems is economical rights. We have an external debt that has been brought down in a great part in order for the state to invest in social programmes and progress. We have hunger and malnutrition and very poor quality in the medical attention for the people. Our schooling system is rather bad and we are trying to improve it, so what we are trying to do from our office is to incorporate more dignity in the human life of the people living in Honduras.?

Karla Vernon
?How are most of the ombudsman either selected or appointed in Central America? What?s the mechanism, is it a government appointment, how does it work and how independent is the ombudsman??

Ramon Custodio Lopez
?The Ombudsman is appointed by the legislative power. In some countries there is a free proposal and then the national congress decides by two-thirds of the votes who is going to be the next person in office. We are trying to define a profile in order to ensure that the independent and really conscientious people about human rights are elected.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Karla Vernon

The Ombudsmen from Central America will be meeting later this month in Panama.