Ombudsman (Komesina o Sulufaiga) Act 2013
15
(3) A report made by the Ombudsman under this Part is
taken to be an official report made by a person holding an
inquiry under the authority of the Legislative Assembly.
PART 4
HUMAN RIGHTS
Division 1 - Functions
33. Functions – The Ombudsman has the following human
rights functions:
(a) to promote public awareness of human rights and
efforts to combat all forms of discrimination or
corruption through the provision of information
and education;
(b) to inquire into, and report on, alleged violations of
human rights;
(c) to monitor and promote compliance with
international and domestic human rights law
including through any of the following—
(i) making recommendations as to the
desirability of Samoa becoming a party to
an international human rights instrument;
(ii) reviewing existing and proposed legislation
or reviewing other laws for consistency with
international human rights law and
recommending additional legislative and
other measures to protect human rights;
(iii) advising the Government on its reporting
obligations under international human rights
instruments and on the content of those
reports;
(iv) providing information to the international
human rights system, including the Human
Rights Council and its mechanisms and the
human rights treaty monitoring bodies;
(d) with the approval of a court, to participate in
judicial proceedings as a friend of the court or as
a party where human rights issues arise; or
(e) to visit all public and, subject to section 48, private
places of voluntary and involuntary confinement
or detention;