Consitutional Law Committee, Supreme Guardians of the Law, Ombudsmen
Suomeksi På Svenska
The Constitutional Law Committee
The Constitutional Law Committee is a parliamentary committee whose task is to issue statements on bills sent to it for consideration and on the constitutionality of other matters and their bearing on international human rights instruments. The Committee drafts legislation related to amendments of the Constitution or closely associated with the Constitution, including legislation pertaining to elections, citizenship, language issues and political parties.
Supreme Guardians of the Law
The Chancellor of Justice supervises the legality of the official actions of the Government, the Ministries and the President of the Republic. He also ensures that the courts of law, authorities and officials comply with the law and fulfil their obligations.
The Chancellor of Justice also oversees the implementation of fundamental and human rights in Finland. The work performed by the Office of the Chancellor of Justice is based on complaints by citizens, inspections, supervision of the Government’s decision-making process and other observations.
Further information
The Parliamentary Ombudsman oversees and promotes the legality of actions taken by public authorities and the implementation of fundamental and human rights. The Ombudsman examines complaints, takes initiatives on his own and carries out inspections at offices and institutions, in particular at prisons, military garrisons and other closed institutions. The Ombudsman’s tasks are set forth in the Constitution of Finland and the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act.
Special Ombudsmen
The Ombudsman for Children promotes the implementation of children’s rights in Finland. The Ombudsman raises the awareness of decision-makers and influences social policy by speaking out on behalf of children. She acts as an amplifier for the voice of children and a bridge builder for child policy. The Ombudsman’s work is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, whose implementation the Ombudsman assesses and promotes at the general level of social policy and legislation. The Ombudsman does not handle matters concerning individual children or families and cannot alter the decisions given by other authorities.
The Ombudsman for Equality supervises compliance with the Act on Equality between Women and Men. The act also covers people belonging to gender minorities. The Ombudsman’s supervision covers the implementation of gender equality, prohibition of discrimination and promotion of equality. The Ombudsman is an independent law enforcement authority and operates under the Ministry for Health and Social Affairs. The Ombudsman’s Office also gives advice for how to act if you suspect that you have been discriminated against.
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman supervises compliance with the Non-Discrimination Act with regard to all grounds of discrimination . The Ombudsman also acts as the national rapporteur on human trafficking.
The Data Protection Ombudsman handles and makes decisions on matters concerning the handling of personal data and credit data. The Ombudsman follows the general development in the handling of these data and takes necessary initiatives. The Ombudsman also distributes information and participates in international cooperation related to the handling of personal data.
The Intelligence Ombudsman supervises the legality of civilian and military intelligence activities and the realisation of fundamental and human rights in intelligence activities. The Ombudsman's duties include supervising the legality ogf the use of intelligence gathering methods and intelligence information as well as other intelligence activities.