The Italian Parliament adopts a law establishing the national Ombudsman for childhood and adolescence.

On 22 June 2011, after a long parliamentary procedure and by unanimous vote of the Senate was established in Italy the Authority for the protection of childhood and adolescence, which is a fundamental institution to guarantee the promotion and protection of children's rights.

The national Ombudsman, as set up by this law, is a monocratic body headed by a person of high moral standards, independent and professional in the field of the rights of children. The Ombudsman, networking with regional Ombudsmen has to ensure minimum and equal standards of protection in all the country. Among the most relevant duties and functions of his/her mandate there are:

• Promoting the implementation of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and other instruments related to the protection of the rights of the childhood; he/she can also give ad hoc opinions to be attached to the report submitted by Italy to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child;
• Giving his/her opinion on the national plan for the childhood and adolescence and recommending to government and local authorities all adequate measures to adopt on this issue;
• Promoting ways and practices of consultation with civil society and private organisations operating in the field of minors protection;
• Formulating proposals, observations, opinions on issues related to the promotion and protection of the rights of minors;
• Promoting initiatives for raising awareness and spreading a culture of the childhood and adolescence.

The establishment of the Ombudsman, which all organisations committed in Italy in the field of the protection of minors praised, represents an extremely necessary measure for Italy in order to comply with the provisions of the main international instruments on the matter, first of all, the New York Convention of 1989. Recently, indeed, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, monitoring body of that Convention, expressed its concern for the lack of a national independent institution guaranteeing the rights of the childhood and adolescence.

Besides the appointment of the first Ombudsman, funding is yet a problem to deal with. That is a key element in order not only to guarantee the independence and the autonomy, the newborn Authority needs to carry out its activities, but also to ensure the compliance with the Paris Principles (related to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights).

Last update

1/7/2011