Czech Republic

Number of Romani college graduates rising in Czech Republic

Prague, 28.7.2014 22:18, (ROMEA) A Bachelor's in economics, a doctorate in law or a Master's in pedagogy. In the Czech Republic, thanks to special scholarships, the number of Romani college graduates is slowly increasing.  full story

Czech town stops collections on back rent worth CZK 30 million

Most, 28.7.2014 19:34, (ROMEA) Czech Television reports that the town hall of Most has stopped collections proceedings against 120 families living at the Chanov housing estate for debts worth roughly CZK 30 million. The town is also reportedly no longer seeking repayment of back rent and utility bills.  full story

Czech Republic: Water cut to yet another building because landlord didn't pay

Děčín, 28.7.2014 19:05, (ROMEA) The owner of yet another piece of real estate in the Czech Republic has not paid the water bill, so the water was shut off to the entire building on Vítězství Street in Děčín on 15 July. Six families are living there, all of them without running water.  full story

Czech ombud: Inclusive education the only way out of life in a segregated society

Brno, 25.7.2014 23:05, (ROMEA) Anna Šabatová, the recently-appointed ombud, brings a very important personal experience to the post from her pre-1989 past. As a dissident against the former regime, she has experienced what it is to be a minority in society.  full story

Czech Republic: Arson at detention facility, 50 people evacuated

Bělá pod Bezdězem (Mladá Boleslav district), 24.7.2014 18:47, (ROMEA) In the town of Bělá pod Bezdězem a residential hotel housing foreign nationals awaiting deportation caught fire this morning. Someone intentionally set fire to one of the rooms in the facility, which is run by the Czech Interior Ministry.  full story

Commentary: Pets, yes, children and foreigners, no

Prague, 24.7.2014 0:16, (ROMEA) Last week news server Romea.cz published a report about the fact that the North Bohemian Water Supply and Sewerage (Severočeské vodovody a kanalizace - SČVK) company had disconnected a residential hotel in Ústí nad Labem because the owner had not paid the bills, and several people commented online. One contributor posted that she didn't understand why anyone was still living in the facility since it had experienced those problems for such a long time and there are enough apartments for rent elsewhere.  full story

Czech Platform for Social Housing position paper calls for permanent housing

Prague, 23.7.2014 21:12, (ROMEA) The stories of people who have found themselves in need of housing were recently heard over the course of two days in Prague by experts on social issues, the ombud, and representatives of the authorities. Homeless men and women and the tenants of problematic residential hotels described their personal experiences at the meeting, which took place at the Office of the Government.  full story

Czech Government to map socially excluded localities

Prague, 23.7.2014 20:05, (ROMEA) News server Personalista.com reports that a large-scale survey of more than 200 communities throughout the Czech Republic is about to take place in order to determine the degree of their social exclusion and what the people living in such environments must deal with. The venture is part of the Analysis of Socially Excluded Localities in the Czech Republic that is being performed by the GAC company for the Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry (MPSV) since the start of the year.  full story

Czech Social Minister corrects Labor Office director's claims about welfare abuse

Prague, 23.7.2014 18:45, (ROMEA) A press release from the Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry (MPSV) issued Monday states that according to the information available from the General Directorate of the Labor Office of the Czech Republic, the degree to which welfare is abused - applied for and received by those who do not qualify - ranges from between five to 10 % of the total volume of disbursals. The situation may vary depending on the region, but the vast majority of welfare makes its way to the right people.  full story

Analysis: "Where is my home?" Not in the Czech Republic!

Prague, 22.7.2014 20:34, (ROMEA) Last Thursday and Friday in the city of Prague the National Meeting of People in Need of Housing took place. Homeless, impoverished people, whose opinions are usually ignored by most, developed interesting proposals during two days of concentrated work, proposals which, not surprisingly, could be used as a basis for addressing the problem of social housing here.  full story

Another Czech hate crime? Homeless man murdered in Prague

Prague, 21.7.2014 18:11, (ROMEA) A 43-year-old homeless man died this morning at the Hradčanská tram stop in Prague after being assaulted by an aggressive man who kicked and punched him. Police are now searching for the attacker, who faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted of committing grievous bodily harm resulting in death.  full story

Czech residential hotel cut off from water has no front door either

Ústí nad Labem, 18.7.2014 23:41, (ROMEA) The occupants of a residential hotel in the Předlice quarter of Ústí nad Labem have been dependent on a municipally-provided cistern for their water for almost two weeks now. Even though they have been properly paying their rent and deposits for utilities, the owners of the facility, the Joni family, owe about CZK 500 000 in unpaid electricity and water bills.  full story

Analysis: The Czech state's response to the "Year of Extremism"

Prague, 18.7.2014 22:18, (ROMEA) Last year extremists in the Czech Republic convened a total of 272 events, 136 fewer than in 2012 - at least according to the Czech Interior Ministry. So, did we all just imagine those frequent street battles between demonstrators and police last year, or is someone intentionally making fun of us here?  full story

Czech Interior Minister meets director of EU Fundamental Rights Agency

Czech Republic, 18.7.2014 16:15, (ROMEA) On Thursday 17 July Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec met with the director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Morten Kjaerum. Under the auspices of the EU, the FRA provides assistance to the Member States in applying fundamental human rights.  full story

Czech mayor refutes rumor she is forgiving Romani residents' debts

Vsetín, 17.7.2014 20:51, (ROMEA) The official website of the town of Vsetín has posted a statement regarding recent allegations made against Mayor Táborská. A majority-society resident has reportedly verbally abused the mayor over information published by a local weekly.  full story

Analysis: Vlastimil Pechanec - neo-Nazi martyr or hard-core murderer?

Prague, 17.7.2014 18:37, (ROMEA) On 21 July 2014 it will be 13 years since Otto Absolon, a father of two young children, died at the hands of a local neo-Nazi, Vlastimil Pechanec, in the East Bohemian town of Svitavy. At the end of last month, Mr Absolon's murderer was conditionally released from prison.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister completing amendment to enhance ombud powers

Brno/Prague, 17.7.2014 17:17, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democrats - ČSSD) will be submitting a draft amendment to enhance the powers of the ombud within the next few weeks. The change would grant the ombud authority to request the Constitutional Court to abolish dubious laws and the authority to file anti-discrimination suits.  full story

Czech adoption at decade low, Romani children often "exported"

Prague, 17.7.2014 16:43, (ROMEA) Authorities in the Czech Republic received the lowest number of requests for adoption last year during the past decade, a total of 626 (see table below). In recent years the number of requests has been gradually declining.  full story

International stipends for Romani college students: deadline 21/7

Czech Republic and other 15 countries, 17.7.2014 15:31, (ROMEA) Roma Education Fund’s Scholarship Program (REF SP) announces yearly scholarship cycle of the Roma International Scholar Program (RISP) for the 2014 - 2015 academic year. The Program is designed to provide partial support to Roma students who are citizens of one of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine, for pursuing Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, or Postdoctoral education outside their home country or country of residence. The aim of the scholarship is to promote academic mobility of Roma students and support their academic integration internationally.  full story

Czech social housing responsibility may shift to municipalities

Prague, 15.7.2014 23:02, (ROMEA) Who should provide social housing? Should municipalities be obligated by law to provide social housing for their residents?  full story