WILLEMSTAD – The Ombudsman of Curaçao is launching a public survey to determine how familiar residents are with the institution and its role in helping citizens who encounter problems with government authorities.
The survey launches Thursday, August 27, and is intended to measure the Ombudsman’s visibility and name recognition within the Curaçao community. The initiative comes at a time when significantly more residents are turning to the institution for assistance.
The Ombudsman is an independent institution where citizens can seek assistance or file complaints concerning the conduct of government bodies. However, the new survey is intended to establish how well residents actually understand that role and whether they know when and how they can approach the institution.
The initiative follows a substantial increase in the Ombudsman’s caseload. According to the institution’s 2025 Annual Report, 1,340 cases were handled last year, compared with 958 in 2024, an increase of nearly 40 percent.
Many of the people seeking assistance were vulnerable residents, including elderly people, low-income citizens, children and their representatives. In numerous cases, citizens had approached the Ombudsman after failing to receive responses from government agencies. Intervention by the Ombudsman subsequently resulted in many of them receiving a response.
The Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning generated the highest number of complaints in 2025 with 107 cases, followed closely by the Ministry of Justice with 106. The Ministry of Social Development, Labor and Welfare ranked third with 72 complaints.
Not every request received by the Ombudsman constitutes a formal complaint about improper government conduct. Residents also approach the institution because they do not know which government agency is responsible for their problem, lack information or need assistance navigating administrative procedures.
The Ombudsman has repeatedly highlighted government communication and accessibility as areas requiring improvement. Its 2025 report concluded that government services should place citizens more centrally in their operations and recommended measures including an accessible and free government legal helpdesk.
The new survey should provide the institution with a clearer picture of whether Curaçao residents know that the Ombudsman exists, understand its responsibilities and know how to seek its assistance when they encounter problems with public authorities.