Today at 07:00 a.m. in the course of the live TV show “Good morning” (Lithuanian National Television), Henrikas Mickevicius , Executive Director of HRMI, has handed over to Mrs. Ausrine Burneikiene, Equal Opportunities Ombudswoman, the annual award of the "Human Rights Champion".
The Board of the Human Rights Monitoring Institute has awarded the distinction for Ausrine Burneikiene's long-lasting and persistent work in promoting and defending the principle of equal opportunities.
Mrs. Burneikiene has been the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson since 1999. The office has investigated numerous complaints regarding alleged discrimination due to age, sexual orientation, disability, race and ethnic origin, religion and beliefs. The Ombudswoman has been investigating possible violations of her own motion.
The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson implements educational and awareness-raising projects. In 2007, the Office has successfully implemented the programme of European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, the project on “Ensuring equal opportunities of men and women in the labor market”, and the project called “Diversity. Equality. Action!”.
The Human Rights Champion of the Year award has been established by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute in 2006 to recognize outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights in Lithuania.
© 2012 Human Rights Monitoring Institute