MOSCOW, December 21 (RAPSI) – The Federation Council, the upper house of Russian parliament, on Friday approved a legislative proposal to extend the powers of children’s rights commissioners, according to the information published on its website.

The bill grants children’s rights commissioners a power to challenge officials’ actions or inactions in courts to protect minors as useful and timely.

The draft law stipulates that the ombudsman would be able to file lawsuits with various courts asking them to determine legality of certain decisions, actions or inactions of state and municipal bodies, other organizations with state powers, officials, state and municipal employees, in the name of protecting rights of children.

According to the initiative, the ombudsman would also be able to visit detention and penitentiary centers that hold underage persons, pregnant women and women, who have children in special facilities for children in prisons and penal colonies. The child rights ombudsman is to exercise this power without a need for special permission, the document reads.

The bill also envisages punishment for interference with actions of the children’s rights commissioner and non-compliance with the ombudsman’s legal requests.

The State Duma adopted the document on December 19.