Based on information from the media that a two-year-old girl from a village near Zaječar died after being beaten by her mother's common-law husband, the Protector of Citizens launched investigations to control the legality and regularity of work of competent state authorities.
The Centre for Social Work Zaječar should inform the Protector of Citizens within 15 days whether even before the tragic event, there were reports or knowledge of domestic violence in the family of the deceased girl or child neglect by the mother, as well as all about the facts and circumstances of this case.
Also, the Protector of Citizens requested the Ministry of Family Welfare and Demography to supervise the professional work of the Zaječar Centre for Social Work, and inform the Protector of Citizens within 15 days if there were any omissions in the work of the centre in the procedures related to the girl's family, and especially when it comes to the actions of guardianship authorities in protecting the child from violence, abuse and neglect.
The Protector of Citizens asked the Health Centre in Zaječar to inform him within 15 days whether, regarding the health status of the child, signs of violence or parental neglect were observed or reported by the centre's health care workers, who have provided health care to the girl until now.
Furthermore, it is necessary for the Ministry of Interior to inform the Protector of Citizens whether, even before the tragic event, the competent authorities of the MoI had knowledge or received reports of violence or child neglect in the family where the girl lived, as well as about all the police activities undertaken after the tragic event.