Foreword
FOREWORD
Aage Thor Falkanger
Parliamentary Ombudsman for Public Administration Norway
Many people are deprived of their liberty every year because they have
committed criminal acts, because they have a psychiatric condition or for
other reasons. Even though it may be legitimate to deprive individuals of
their liberty, the affected persons are made vulnerable.
How we treat people deprived of their liberty is a measure of the kind of
society we have.
When the authorities deprive persons of their liberty, they simultaneously
assume greater responsibility for their welfare. In particular, it is important
that persons deprived of their liberty do not suffer torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment. Experience shows that there is a need for external control
mechanisms, and that regular visits to places of detention are an effective preventive
measure. The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) was adopted
in 2002, and commits ratifying states to establish national bodies to conduct such visits.
On 21 June 2013, in connection with Norway’s ratification of the OPCAT, the Norwegian
parliament decided that responsibility for such visits in Norway should be assigned to
the Parliamentary Ombudsman for Public Administration. In the spring of 2014, the
Parliamentary Ombudsman established a dedicated department – called the National
Preventive Mechanism (NPM) – to perform this task. This annual report on the work
of the NPM is presented pursuant to section 12 of the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s new responsibilities are wide in scope. The mandate
encompasses numerous, in some cases very different, sectors. This broad perspective
confers a unique opportunity to examine the experiences of individuals relating to the
use of force across sectors, institutions, professional groups and administrative bodies.
The experience gained in 2014 shows that Norway needs a body with a specific mandate
to uncover and prevent torture and ill-treatment. In the autumn, the NPM visited prisons
and police custody facilities, and made various recommendations. The main impression
thus far is that the institutions value these visits and regard them as a good opportunity
to evaluate their own practices.
To be successful, prevention efforts must involve and engage a broad spectrum of
stakeholders. Accordingly, in 2014 much work has been done to establish dialogues
with national bodies such as public authorities, educational institutions, trade unions,
academic institutions and civil society stakeholders. Collaboration with international
human rights bodies and organisations has been initiated to gather expertise, knowledge
and experience. The second half of the year was used to conduct visits to prisons and
police custody facilities.
In 2015, the NPM will continue to focus on the conditions for persons deprived of their
liberty in prisons and police custody facilities, and will also begin visiting psychiatric
institutions, the police’s immigration detention facility and child welfare institutions.
Norway’s National Preventive Mechanism – Annual Report 2014
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