On November 3, 2025, the Public Defender issued a recommendation to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the effective investigation of alleged sexual harassment.

The recommendation was based on an application by a female lawyer, who indicated that she was subjected to sexual harassment by an investigator while examining the case materials at the Police Department. Given that the applicant had referred the complaint to the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Public Defender examined the response of the General Inspectorate to the alleged sexual harassment.

As the Public Defender established, within the framework of the internal inspection, the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not properly examine and assess the factual circumstances and evidence of essential importance for the case. In addition, the Public Defender considered that the General Inspectorate, in accordance with its responsibilities defined by national and international instruments, needs an internal response mechanism for the prevention of sexual harassment and the investigation of the alleged sexual harassment fact in order to conduct an in-depth investigation and assessment of the alleged sexual harassment.

Based on the above, the Public Defender addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs with a recommendation:

• to ensure, when receiving information about alleged sexual harassment, an effective investigation of the fact, in accordance with the standards outlined in the recommendation, using a victim-centered approach, specifically through an assessment in the direction of sexual harassment;
• to develop an internal response mechanism for the prevention of sexual harassment and investigation of alleged sexual harassment;
• to systematically provide informational training on sexual harassment issues for the Ministry employees.