Only by knowing your rights can you recognize situations in which they are being violated and seek to change the situation. Furthermore, ignorance does not exempt you from responsibility—discover your rights!
Human rights affect all areas of our lives – civil, political, social, cultural, and economic. Human rights apply to everyone, regardless of nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, age, or other criteria. These rights are set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted 60 years ago.
If your rights have been violated, you can defend them in Lithuania through judicial or non-judicial means. This means that you can appeal to a competent Lithuanian court or to independent institutions that defend human rights through non-judicial means. The heads of such institutions are called ombudsmen. In Lithuania, the following independent institutions can defend your rights through non-judicial means:
Organizations and institutions providing legal assistance
State-guaranteed legal aid
Municipal administration officials, employees, as well as lawyers or specialists from public institutions with which the municipality has signed a contract, will personally advise on how to resolve a dispute out of court, provide information on the legal system, laws, and other legal acts, and assist in preparing a settlement agreement and completing a request for secondary legal aid.
VU Law Clinic consultants will personally advise you on how to resolve a dispute, inform you about the legal system, laws, and other legal acts, and help you prepare the necessary documents. Free legal consultations are provided on the following issues:
contract law,
tax law,
public law,
intellectual property law,
labor and social security law,
family law,
dispute resolution.
Vilnius University Law Clinic
Vilniaus g. 25, Vilnius
Tel.: +370 670 25 165
Email: info@teisesklinika.lt
Website: www.teisesklinika.lt
Office of the Children's Rights Protector
The Office of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights is an independent state institution responsible for monitoring and supervising compliance with children’s rights. The Ombudsman for Children’s Rights is a special legal institution that cannot be attributed to any of the three branches of government. One of the main features of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights is that it does not have and does not use any means of state coercion, and the implementation of its recommendations is ensured by the authority of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights.
Office of the Equal Opportunities Commissioner is an independent institution whose objectives include ensuring that private and public entities comply with the principles of equal opportunities for women and men and the prohibition of discrimination enshrined in equal opportunities legislation. This institution also investigates complaints from applicants regarding discrimination both in the public sector and in relations between private individuals. After investigating a complaint, the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman may impose administrative penalties on offenders, but cannot compensate the person who has suffered the violation.
Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics investigates human rights violations in the media. The inspector examines complaints from interested parties regarding violations of their honor and dignity in the media, violations of the right to protection of private life, as well as complaints from all natural or legal persons regarding violations or non-compliance with the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Minors from the Negative Impact of Public Information.
investigates human rights violations at the administrative level. If your human rights have been violated in the field of public administration, you can file a complaint with the Seimas Ombudsman regarding abuse of power, bureaucracy, or other violations of human rights and freedoms in the field of public administration. In this context, an official is an employee of a state or municipal institution or agency, as well as any other employee performing public administration functions, public institutions and non-governmental organizations that have been granted public administration powers in accordance with the procedure established by law, an employee with administrative powers over subordinate persons, a person authorized by the state to perform functions assigned by the state in accordance with the law. Among other things, this institution also carries out torture prevention activities.
Academic Ethics and Procedures Control Office is designed to ensure that a person’s right to education is not violated, the service also supervises compliance with academic ethics and procedures in scientific and educational institutions. If you believe that the principles of academic integrity, academic freedom, impartiality in the evaluation of scientific work, equal rights to participate in competitions, ethical principles of mutual relations, or if there is abuse of academic ethics and procedures by the heads of scientific and study institutions and departmental administrators, you can submit a complaint to this institution for investigation.
Please note that the conclusions of these institutions are of a recommendatory nature, i.e. they do not impose sanctions and/or award damages. If you have experienced discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, nationality, citizenship, language, origin, social status, religion, beliefs or views, age, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, or religion, you have the right to claim compensation for material and non-material damage from the persons responsible in accordance with the procedure established by law, i.e. by applying to a court or a labor dispute commission if you have experienced such discrimination at work.
Information prepared in cooperation with the public institution “Human Rights Voice”.
