Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Deputy Ombudsman Saša Rajić and advisers to the Ombudswoman met on 22 May 2026 with civil society organisations and lawyers working in the field of migration.
The meeting was a continuation of long-standing cooperation with organisations carrying out various activities, such as providing psychosocial support, free legal aid and healthcare, as well as with lawyers providing free legal aid.
The topics discussed at the meeting included, among others, various obstacles to exercising rights in procedures for granting international protection, access of civil society organisations to reception centres for applicants for international protection and reception centres for foreigners, procedures for assessing persons’ vulnerability, difficulties related to integration, and access to courts, free legal aid and healthcare for persons with different migration statuses.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Croatian Red Cross, the Civil Rights Project Sisak, the Croatian Law Centre, the Centre for Peace Studies, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Borders, Doctors of the World / Médecins du Monde, the Institute for Democracy (IDEMO), Are You Syrious and the Society for Psychological Assistance, as well as lawyers providing free legal aid.
More information on the work of the Ombudswoman in this area is available in the Ombudswoman’s Report for 2025, in the chapters on applicants for international protection and irregular migrants, and on discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin.
