ANNUAL REPORT 2015 not in violation of human rights or discrimination. The number of complaints accepted by the Commission in 2015 marked 10,687 cases, which is a decrease of 2.1% (229 cases) compared to the figure from the previous year (10,916 cases). Complaints on human rights abuse accounted for 79.5% of the total with 8,496 cases, while its counterpart on discrimination had 20.4% with 2,183 cases. Urgent Relief Measures After the Commission receives a complaint, if it is deemed highly likely that any violation of human rights or a discriminatory act against a person subject to investigation is in progress and then it is deemed likely that any damage impractical to recover where such violation or discrimination is left unattended, the Commission may take urgent relief measures pursuant to Article 48 of the NHRC Act. Suo Motu Investigations Article 30.3 of the NHRC Act provides that: “Even if any complaint under paragraph (1) is not filed, the Commission may, ex officio, initiate an investigation when it deems that there exists a reasonable ground for believing that a violation of human rights or a discriminatory act exists and that such a violation or act is serious.” Therefore, the Commission conducted suo motu investigations on a total of nine important human rights issues in 2015, including: 1. forced labor and exploitation at residential facilities for homeless people; 2. forced labor and violence against the resident facilities for people with mental disability; 3. discrimination against the disabled in the use of ships and airplanes; 4. ‌for improvements in policies regarding leave of absence from school for graduate students due to pregnancy, childbirth, and child-care; 5. human rights abuse in residential facilities for the disabled; and 6. illegal transfer of patients between mental hospitals. On-site Investigation The Commission’s authority for on-site investigation of facilities is prescribed in Article 24.1 of the NHRC Act: “The Commission may, if deemed necessary, visit a confinement or caring 78 | National Human Rights Commission of Korea