WELCOME TO THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN
Responsible, honest, and transparent conduct of institutions
The Office of the Ombudsman is established to provide citizens with greater protection against improper actions by institutions, this in addition to other legal processes (= other ways to complain, for example by filing a request with the court or initiating an administrative legal case).
The Ombudsman is appointed by the parliament for a term of 6 years.
As an independent and impartial body, the Ombudsman has the task, in a general sense, of promoting that everyone is treated properly by institutions and that human rights are respected.
The Ombudsman investigates the propriety of conduct of institutions on request or on her own initiative. This assessment is carried out based on the standards of proper conduct, which are published in the Guidelines on proper conduct © by the Office of the Ombudsman Aruba.
Anyone (everyone) who thinks that an institution has treated him or her improperly can file a complaint with the Ombudsman.
In the context of the National Ordinance Ombudsman, the word ‘institutions’ refer to administrative bodies, public legal entities, utility companies, and private organizations of general interest that (whether or not) receive financial contributions from public funds, private organizations responsible for tasks concerning children and youth (anyone up to and including 17 years of age) that perform tasks with education, youth care, childcare and healthcare, as well as all persons who are (or have been) employed by these institutions.
The Ombudsman is the only one authorized to hire, suspend, or dismiss staff. The Ombudsman and his office staff are not subordinate to any entity in the performance of their duties. The Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children submit an annual report to the Parliament of Aruba and the Minister of General Affairs and, so far as the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for the Children consider it necessary, to the institutions whose conduct has been the subject of an investigation.
Both the Parliament and the ministers can request the Ombudsman to provide advice on a subject that falls within her area of responsibility, and the Ombudsman can also do this on her own initiative.
