Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner to meet with PM, Interior Minister about social unrest

On Thursday, 1 August at 13:00 there will be a meeting of a working group to address the social unrest in the country at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková has called the meeting on the basis of information she has received from the field through the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion.

Given the seriousness of the topic, the meeting will be attended by Czech PM Jiří Rusnok and Czech Interior Minister Martin Pecina. Representatives of several towns and villages that have recently addressed social problems on their territories will also attend, specifically, Deputy Mayor of České Budějovice Petr Podhola, Mayor of Duchcov Jitka Bártová, and Mayor of Ostrava Petr Kajnar.

"This working group will propose a set of legislative and systemic steps for the various ministries to take which should lead to reducing social unrest on the territory of the Czech Republic. Should such steps be approved, they will be submitted to the Government for discussion," Václav Zeman of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion said.

The Government approved the creation of a working group to address social unrest last August. The group is convened only when more serious social unrest takes place in the regions.

In addition to the Human Rights Commissioner, the group includes deputy minsters from the Ministries of Education, Industry, Interior, Labor and Regional Development, as well as the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. The aim of the group is to make sure the procedures undertaken by the state administration and the ministries to address such situations will be as coordinated and connected as possible.