This book focuses on the role of ombuds institutions in monitoring and investigating the security sector.

It argues that independent ombuds institutions can play an important role in strengthening democratic oversight and furthering human and public security.

Despite the fact that most ombuds institutions have relatively broad mandates and corresponding powers, which also endow them with competency over human rights abuses in the security sector, they encounter many problems when they start investigations. Baseline research on the relationship between ombuds institutions and the security sector presented in this publication shows that the security sector remains a closed domain, and that there is a significant need and potential to strengthen the work of ombuds institutions on security sector oversight.

Ombuds institutions can provide a viable forum for the investigation and resolution of human rights violations committed by security sector agencies; they can help to bring national legislation into conformity with international standards; they can monitor the security sector; and they can educate security sector officials about their obligations and the general public about their rights.

So far, there is only little guidance available for ombuds institutions on how they can best structure their work on human and public security. This publication intends to close this gap and presents action-oriented recommendations, which have benefited greatly from practical input presented by ombuds institutions from Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.