The annual report of the rights defender in France was made public this Tuesday morning. This independent authority, which is responsible for defending the rights of citizens against the administration, received more than 137,000 complaints in 2023. This is 10% more than the previous year.
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In almost two out of three cases, the complaints concern relations with public services. For the rights defender, there is a gap that has been built between users and public services.
Problems obtaining retirement, family benefits or reimbursement of care, various discriminations and in particular for people with a disability… the list is long and varied.
Claire Hédon specifies that the year 2023 was marked by a trivialization of rights violations and a worrying weakening of the rule of law. These are already vulnerable populations who have been put in difficulty.
For the rights defender, the questioning of certain court decisions is also an extremely worrying phenomenon. Our democratic system is not based only on elections, she explains, it is based on a balance of powers and on the fact that public powers are subject to the law.