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The President of the Czech Republic confirmed the creation of the Children's Ombudsman with his signature

March 10, 2025 News

Almost a year has passed since the Government submitted a proposal to amend the Ombudsman Act to the Parliament. It has now been sealed with the President's signature. The law will enter into force on 1 July 2025. Thus, the institution of the Children's Ombudsman will be created on that date. Until the election of its representative, the duties will be carried out by the Deputy Ombudsman, Vít Alexander Schorm. The amendment also extends the ombudsman's mandate to include a so-called "National Human Rights Institution" whose aim is to protect and promote human rights in the Czech Republic. 

Czech NPM contributes to global report on women in prison

January 13, 2025 News

The Public Defender of Rights as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) of Czechia has joined NPMs from 45 other countries to contribute to the development of a global report on women in prison, launched today by the Geneva-based Association for the Prevention of Torture. 

This landmark report highlights significant challenges and systemic discrimination faced by women in prisons around the globe, calling for urgent reforms and greater use of alternatives to detention.

We are commemorating the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti. Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček participated in the commemoration ceremony in Auschwitz

August 2, 2024 News

On 2 August, we commemorate the last 4,300 Roma and Sinti in the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, who were murdered by the SS on that night in 1944 despite their fierce resistance. In memory of all 500,000 Roma and Sinti murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe, the European Parliament declared this date the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti in 2015. On August 2, 2024, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary with the last survivors of the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti.

Social services must be defined directly by law, agreed the Ombudsman's Advisory Body on the Rights of People with Disabilities

July 8, 2024 News

At its meeting in June, the Advisory Body on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities called for the Deputy Ombudsman to discuss with the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs key issues related to the transformation of social services. In particular, the need to enshrine the definition of community-based social services directly in law. The legislators could add it, for example, to the currently discussed regulation of the so-called social and health borderline.

The Ombudsman has been successful in correcting the authorities’ mistakes and in promoting systemic changes. He summarises his work in 2023 in the annual report

June 3, 2024 News

Stanislav Křeček and Vít Alexander Schorm have presented the Annual Report of their office for the year 2023. They welcomed the fact that ministries and authorities had successfully used the Ombudsman’s findings to correct maladministration in individual cases and to change inappropriate practices. On the other hand, they also drew attention to some topics that remained open, such as the transformation of large institutions for people with disabilities and, above all, the upcoming establishment of a children’s ombudsman.

The Czech Republic celebrated the 20th anniversary of its membership in the European Union. How does the Ombudsman help EU citizens?

May 13, 2024 News

The Ombudsman helps EU citizens in various areas and situations, for example when they are disadvantaged at work, when they are claiming parental allowance or pensions or if their children have not received enough language support at school. EU citizens or their family members can ask the Ombudsman for help when they experienced unequal treatment due to their nationality. For more information about the Ombudsman's assistance to EU citizens, see the Ombudsman's website.

Accessibility of public institutions still lags behind, survey shows. Deputy Defender prepares recommendations for ministries and authorities

April 29, 2024 News

Two surveys of the Public Defender of Rights assessed the accessibility of public buildings in terms of construction law as well as in practice with the help of people with various disabilities. It turned out that construction authorities of municipalities with extended competence approve the vast majority of applications for exemptions from the decree on barrier-free use. This can hinder the accessibility of buildings for people with disabilities. Testers in the field have found that the level of accessibility and the number of barriers in public institutions differ depending on the type of disability. Buildings are most easily accessible for people with physical disabilities, while people with hearing impairments face the greatest barriers.

Government approves establishment of Children's Ombudsman and National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

April 11, 2024 News

Following the Government's meeting on the amendment to the Ombudsman Act, the Public Defender of Rights Stanislav Křeček welcomed the Minister for Legislation's position on the institution of a Children's Ombudsman. The establishment of the Children's Ombudsman along with the expansion of the Ombudsman's mandate in the protection of human rights was approved by the Government on Wednesday April 10th.

Reinforcing human rights protection in the Czech Republic: The Defender draws on Norway’s experience

March 18, 2024 News

The Defender, Stanislav Křeček, and his deputy, Vít Alexander Schorm, introduced today the preparations made by their office with regard to the possible further expansion of their competence in the field of human rights protection. Over the past four years, the Defender has utilised 38.25 million Czech crowns under the Norway Grants project [1] to enhance his activities in the area of human rights with a number of surveys, reports and recommendations, as well as other activities aimed at experts and the general public. Thanks, among others, to the partnership with the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution, the staff of the Defender’s Office have gained experience in working methods typical of institutions with a broad human rights protection mandate. They already put the experience to use in their current work, and will benefit from it especially if the Public Defender of Rights assumes the role of a national human rights institution (NHRI) and a children’s ombudsman. Both are envisaged by the forthcoming amendment to the Public Defender of Rights Act, discussed by the Legislative Council of the Government on Thursday, 29 February.
 

Tranquilisers instead of individual support: even such cases are encountered during the Defender’s visits to residential facilities for people with disabilities

December 3, 2023 News

The stories of two men with mental disabilities recorded by employees of the Defender’s Office during their visits illustrate a phenomenon which has been mostly overlook so far: some people with mental disabilities, especially those with challenging behaviour, receive high doses of tranquilisers. According to the Deputy Defender, this practice has to change. Behaviour is often the only possible form of communication for people who cannot otherwise make contact with others. It is therefore necessary that the latter understand the unmet needs behind the patient’s challenging behaviour and be able to respond accordingly. Tranquillisers must not be the first, let alone the only and permanent “solution”.

According to educational plans designed for pupils with mild mental disabilities more Romani children are still being taught than would correspond to the representation of Roma among all schoolchildren

November 6, 2023 News

As in previous years, current data from the Czech Ministry of Education show that Romani pupils are roughly 10 times more likely to leave psychological counseling centres with a diagnosis of mild mental disability than their non-Romani classmates. According to the Ombudsman, in the three years when he has been monitoring this topic, the situation in Romani education has not improved much. On average 3.5% of primary school pupils are of Roma origin. However, over a quarter (26.2%) of pupils educated according to the rules with reduced requirements, designed specifically for children with mild mental disabilities, are Roma. Such a disproportion raises questions about whether equal treatment of Roma in access to and provision of education is ensured.

The Crimea Platform connected ombuds from all over the world, their online meeting was co-hosted by the ombudsmen from Czech and Ukraine

October 24, 2023 News

Before the start of the The Second Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform held in Prague, ombuds and representatives of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from more than sixty countries around the world met at an online conference entitled "The Battle for Crimea — The Battle for Human Rights". The Ukrainian Ombudsman — Commissioner for Human Rights of the Ukrainian Parliament — Dmytro Lubynets asked his Czech counterpart, Ombudsman Stanislav Křecek, to co-organize the conference. Together with the participants, they discussed current problems and human rights violations in occupied Crimea.

In a joint statement, the representatives of the ombuds institutions of the Visegrad Four countries stressed that any extension of their powers requires adequate funding and staffing

October 23, 2023 News

The joint declaration was initiated by Polish Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek as this year's host of the annual meeting of V4 ombudsmen. Ombuds institutions in all four countries have experienced the gradual broadening of their mandate and competences. For example, the Slovak Ombudsman is currently beginning to oversee the rights of people restricted in their personal freedom. In the Czech Republic, the forthcoming amendment to the Ombudsman Act includes the establishment of a children's ombudsman and foresees that the ombudsman would also exercise the mandate of the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI).

The handling of claims for compensation for unlawful sterilizations is accompanied by errors at the Ministry of Health, the Ombudsman has found

October 20, 2023 News

According to the Ombudsman's findings, the Ministry of Health does not process requests for compensation for unlawful sterilizations within the legal deadline. In some cases, it has exceeded the prescribed 60 days three times. Moreover, it has not been helpful in communication with the applicants, neither it has sufficiently informed them about their rights. The Ombudsman informed the Minister of Health of his conclusions and recommended the Ministry to make several adjustments to the instructions to the applicants for compensation.

It is good that the Government wants to establish a Children's Ombudsman and a National Human Rights Institution. But we can't do it without people, warns Ombudsman

July 18, 2023 News

The Ombudsman has sent his comments on the draft law amending the Ombudsman Act to the Minister for Legislation. The Government's proposal aims to establish a Children's Ombudsman and a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) under the Office of the Ombudsman. This will entail many new responsibilities and tasks. The Ombudsman therefore advises the Government that adequate funding and staffing are needed to carry out the new mandates with dignity.

Czech Ombudsman´s Advisory Body: Thousands of people with disabilities lack full legal capacity in violation with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

July 3, 2023 News

The Ombudsman's Advisory Body for people with disabilities is alarmed about the large number of people with disabilities in the Czech Republic restricted in their legal capacity. Members of the advisory body expressed their concern during their June session. As Ombudsman's research shows, the courts in the Czech Republic still prefer restrictions of legal capacity to other forms of support. People with restricted legal capacity cannot make independent decisions in important areas of their lives. For example, they cannot freely manage their own property, make decisions about their health, marry or vote. This is contrary to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The UN Committee has previously criticized the new Czech legislation which continues to allow for restrictions of legal capacity.

At the Night of Dignity, we remembered not only Dorota Šandorová, but also the situation of other people with disabilities

January 6, 2023 News

Dorota Šandorova experienced many years of abuse by caregivers in a social services facility. Two years ago, one of them killed her on the night of 6-7 January. He straddled her, brutally twisted her arms behind her back and pushed her full force against her chest until she fell unconscious and suffocated. The court convicted the perpetrator of murder, then reclassified it as negligent homicide. The incident did not become public until last November and did not appear in professional case reports. Today, we at the Office of the Public Defender of Rights, along with people in other places across the Czech Republic, remembered Dorota Šandorová.

PF 2023

December 5, 2022 PF

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year full of health, peace and love

Mistreatment of People with Disabilities in Social Services has among others Systemic Causes as well, warns Ombudsman

November 28, 2022 News

"People with severe mental and combined disabilities are very vulnerable. They are often completely dependent on the care of those around them. It is all the more serious to find that they are exposed to mistreatment in what should be a safe home for them. This is unacceptable," says Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček, referring to a recent article published in the weekly magazine Respekt about cases of abused and even killed clients of several social services institutions.