Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2013: Estonia

摘要

Estonia is a multi-party, constitutional democracy with a unicameral parliament, a prime minister as head of government, and a president as head of state. The prime minister and cabinet generally represent the party or coalition of parties with a majority of seats in parliament. Parliamentary elections held in 2011 and municipal elections held on October 20 were generally free and fair. Authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Security forces did not commit human rights abuses. There continued to be reports of trafficking, primarily of women for sexual exploitation and men and women for forced labor elsewhere in the EU. A large number of residents were noncitizens, and their rate of naturalization remained low. Conditions in some detention centers remained poor. Other human rights problems reported during the year included allegations that police at times used excessive force when arresting suspects; domestic violence and inequality in womens salaries; incidents of child abuse; and inadequate access to public services by persons with disabilities, especially in rural areas. The government took steps to punish officials who committed abuses, and there were no reports of impunity.