The city of Sombor made an omission harming child rights
Further to media reports about the swing carousel breaking apart in Kolut near Sombor when eight children suffered injuries, the Protector of Citizens initiated own-initiative investigation and established that the town of Sombor made an omission harming child rights by not providing in its legal acts for manners of obtaining the approval nor sanctions for setting up amusement parks on private areas.
During the control of work legality and regularity, the Protector of Citizens established that the town of Sombor made an omission harming child rights as the body’s decisions provide for the requirements and procedure for obtaining approval for the installation of facilities on public areas only, paired with sanctions for persons who have not obtained such approval.
The Protector of Citizens determined that the town of Sombor did not designate the powers to the inspection and communal police to control the temporary placement of facilities on another area, which all resulted in insufficiently provided child protection in Kolut on 12 July 2020.
Due to the aforementioned omissions of the town of Sombor, the protection of children is achieved only in cases when amusement parks are set up in a public area, while there was no engagement and care of the competent city authorities for child safety when the mentioned facilities and devices are placed on the surface, whose owner is a natural or legal person, as it happened in Kolut.
Deputy Protector of Citizens for Child Rights and Gender Equality Ms. Jelena Stojanović announced that expert associates from the Sector for Child Rights of this institution will in the future additionally control public and private areas where children are exposed to possible injuries, be them playgrounds, open city parks or places with entertainment facilities.
She urged all citizens of Serbia to point out to the Protector of Citizens all the places that could pose a potential danger of injuring children.
The Protector of Citizens gave the town of Sombor a period of 30 days to rectify the above-mentioned omissions by amending the Rulebook and program on the installation of facilities and devices on the territory of that town by specifying conditions and procedure for obtaining approval for the installation of facilities and gear for entertainment programs, both on public and on other areas.
The town of Sombor should also amend the Decision on the town organization by prescribing appropriate sanctions for persons who have not obtained the approval of the competent authority for the installation of facilities and equipment for entertainment programs on another area, but also to provide for the powers of inspectors and communal police to control the conditions and manner of temporary installation of amusement parks on another area.