The general ombudsmen’s offices of the public defenders are instances of participation and social control, whose competencies are to receive and forward complaints from citizens, evaluate the services provided by the public defenders’ offices and ensure access to justice. Although their presence has been mandatory since 2009, only 17 of the 27 state public defender offices and the Federal Public Defender’s Office have one.

This evaluation by Transparência Brasil shows that, even where they exist, ombudsmen do not have the structure and conditions to give visibility to their actions and results. The ombudsman’s offices do not value them highly enough and, as a result, they face difficulties, such as a lack of staff to make their activities transparent and accountable on their websites.

• The majority (69%) of the 13 bodies that responded to TB’s questionnaire say they don’t have one or more people available to manage and update their websites;
• Social networks (69%) and instant messaging (61%) are the main means used by most ombudsmen to inform the public about their actions;
• The ombudsmen’s activity reports lack detailed data, such as the profile of people assisted and the number of participants in events;
• Transparência Brasil recommends that ombudsmen’s websites include information on the process of electing the ombudsman, a calendar of events and external activities, links to activity reports and user satisfaction surveys.