You can complain to the Defender of Rights if you believe that your human rights have been violated by French state officials or institutions, or by private individuals.
However, there are some conditions which you must take into account before submitting a complaint:
The Defender of Rights cannot investigate cases which do not directly relate to human rights.
example The Defender of Rights cannot investigate your application if your complaint is that the parliament has not adopted a certain law, or you believe that another private individual has damaged your good reputation.
The Defender of Rights cannot investigate the decisions or actions of government agencies from other countries or international organizations.
You cannot complain about a violation of another person’s human rights, unless you have a right to represent that person.
You can complain about the violation of another person’s human rights if you have been granted a power of attorney allowing you to do that or if you have a legal right to represent that person. For example, if you are a parent of a minor or you are a legal guardian.
The Defender of Rights cannot investigate a potential violation of your rights if you haven't first tried to resolve the problem using all the usual complaint mechanisms that are available.
Those complaints may take the form of informal appeal (recours gracieux), or hierarchical appeal (recours hiérarchique).
Read more about informal and hierarchical appeals.
example If you have been denied social assistance by a public body, you must first complain to the relevant institution before contacting the Defender of Rights.
exception This is not the case if your issue is related to one of the following fields of competence of the Defend of Rights:
- defend and promote the rights and interests of children
- fight against direct or indirect discriminations
- ensure respect of ethics by the persons exercising security activities in France
- inform, advise, and guide potential whistleblowers to the competent authorities