The Establishment of the Defender of Children’s Rights in the Czech Republic

The article deals with the issue of the protection of children’s rights in the Czech Republic. This protection is currently implemented by several authorities and institutions, hence being fragmented, lacking mutual coordination and uniformity of activities, and being almost exclusively conducted by state authorities that do not appear to be independent. This implies that the Czech Republic is failing to fulfil its international obligations, and not exclusively those under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The establishment of the institution of a ‘children’s ombudsman’ is therefore a necessary step that must be implemented as soon as possible. The author analyses both the current state of affairs and, in particular, the proposed legislation to establish an ombudsman for children in the Czech Republic, which would be called the Defender of Children’s Rights. The benefits of this proposal, along with the problematic and controversial aspects that may hinder the proper functioning of a children’s ombudsman in practice, are pointed out.