France - The Defender of Rights

The Defender of Rights oversees the protection of your rights and freedoms, promotes equality and ensures greater access to rights.
Any natural or legal person may refer a case to it directly and free of charge.
This independent administrative authority was enshrined in the Constitution on 23rd July 2008 and established by the Organic and Ordinary Laws of 29th March 2011.
The Defender of Rights is a single authority in charge of defending your rights. Starting in 2011, the areas of competence of the Médiateur de la République (French Mediator), the Défenseur des enfants (Children's Ombudsman) and the Haute Autorité de lutte contre les discriminations et pour l’égalité (HALDE, equality and anti-discrimination authority), and the Commission nationale de déontologie de la sécurité (CNDS, national commission on security ethics) have been joined together in the interest of facilitating and simplifying access by citizens. More...