The síndic de greuges de Catalunya, Esther Giménez-Salinas, has delivered this Wednesday in the Parliament the annual report of the institution corresponding to the year 2022, which includes, to a large extent, the activity of the organization under the mandate of the previous síndic, Rafael Ribó , who spent 18 years in the position until he was replaced by Giménez-Salinas in July of last year.
According to the document, during 2022, 18,068 people have addressed the institution and 23,527 actions have been initiated, including complaints, inquiries and ex officio actions. The number of complaints received -a good part related to possible violations of social rights- has returned to figures prior to the pandemic, around 10,000 per year, but the number of inquiries continues to grow, following the trend of recent years: went from 9,987 in 2018 to 13,381 last year.
Of the more than 14,000 files closed this year, almost half "have detected some irregular or improvable action by the Administration," the Ombudsman underlined. In these cases, the institution makes recommendations or suggestions, which in 80% of the more than 4,500 resolutions have been fully accepted, while in 19.4% they have been partially accepted.
With regard to the various areas of action of the institution, once again the social sphere is once again the protagonist, to the point that 45.4% of the complaints filed correspond to possible violations of social rights, which which represents an increase compared to previous years (in 2018 the figure was 31.3%). "It is what affects our society the most," stressed the trustee at the press conference to present the report.
Health complaints are included in this area and, apart from endemic problems such as waiting lists, emphasis is also placed on more procedural issues, such as the need for health services to act with the utmost diligence and provide personalized attention to more fragile people or those in need of special treatment.
In this sense, the trustee showed a special concern for the socio-sanitary centers, which care for the elderly. "It is a concern not for the future, but for the present."
In the field of social services, which represents 10% of the actions, the report confirms the need to modify some aspects of the guaranteed income for citizens so that it reaches more people in situations of poverty, including people with job. In this sense, the institution defends that "an interpretation of the regulations favorable to the granting of the benefit to all people who need it" is necessary.
The report also warns of the delay of more than five years of the accessibility code, which should serve to eliminate the current difficulties of many citizens who use wheelchairs. “We have received many complaints in the field of people with disabilities,” said Giménez-Salinas. Up to 50.1% have increased, for example, the institution's actions related to disability in childhood and adolescence compared to 2021. Citizens with reduced mobility, underlines the Ombudsman's document, "find each day with problems to move autonomously.
In the area of childhood, the paper insists that, in recent years, there has been an increase in social vulnerability, and analyzes the impact this has had on emotional distress and the social and educational opportunities of children and adolescents.
It stresses that "current public policies do not provide a sufficient response to the needs of children and adolescents in vulnerable situations." And he translates it into figures: 38.6% of children in a situation of severe poverty are not beneficiaries of the minimum vital income or the guaranteed income of citizenship.
Asked about the cases of Sallent and Badalona, the trustee expressed her concern and pointed out that it was "a failure of the entire society." He also urged "a change in the protocols" to be able to have better information to prevent cases of this nature from happening and insisted that the first thing to do is pay "attention to the victim and the pain her".
The number of complaints, ex officio actions and consultations related to special educational needs has also increased by 46.3%.
On the other hand, complaints related to housing have grown by 34% compared to the previous year, significantly increasing cases of residential emergencies, access to housing and delays in the processing of rents. In this context - the Ombudsman's letter states - "it is essential that the administrations work preventively to avoid the loss of the home and reduce the term for the payment of rents".
In the area of consumption, the report also reveals deficiencies related to poverty. On the one hand, the processing of the social bonus continues to be very complex and people who would be eligible continue to be left out, for example because they do not know the electricity rate that applies to them. In this sense, the trustee urged greater transparency from energy companies: "If I, who in theory am a prepared person, do not understand what is detailed on the invoices...".
On the other hand, energy poverty - the document states - continues to be a problem and stresses that companies have the obligation to guarantee supplies to vulnerable consumers.
Finally, in the area of public administration, the report highlights that prior appointments cannot be an essential requirement for administrations to care for people, "despite the obvious positive effects it has from an organizational point of view." "The Administration has to be at the service of the citizenry, what is taking place with the prior appointment is an abuse," stressed Jaume Saura, deputy to the trustee.
For the institution, the restriction of the right to access Administration offices in person, "which can generate situations of inattention and inequality in access or even the impossibility of exercising rights and powers that are subject to a deadline, has no legal protection" and, therefore, asks all administrations to eliminate this practice. "It can't be an absolute requirement," he stresses.
In this sense, the letter also emphasizes that the exclusively electronic processing requires prior verification that the affected persons can interact electronically with the Administration.
According to the report, the profile of citizens who turn to the institution corresponds above all to people with a pattern of social exclusion. Gender inequality is also perceived among those who knock on your door. To begin with, they do it more: 56.8% of women compared to 43.1% of men. In addition, women present more complaints in areas related to care tasks (such as education -72% compared to 28%- or childhood -69% compared to 31%).
