Prague, Oct 1 (CTK) – A new campaign in the Czech Republic is to acquaint 17- and 18-year-old children with their rights, including the right to have their opinion heard by a court and other institutions, the organisers from the Ministries of Education and Social Affairs told journalists yesterday.
Adopted by the U.N. in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by 193 countries including the Czech Republic.
The convention guarantees the children’s right to life, name, knowledge of their parents, education, information, relaxation and the protection of privacy.
Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (Social Democrats, CSSD) said the campaign aims at older children, who would be informed about their rights during the civics lessons.
A total of 65 schools, all outside Prague, are to join the project that offers special civics lessons including a quiz and contests.
Marksova said one task is “to teach public institutions to observe the Convention on the Rights of the Child and pay attention to children. The other task is to instruct the children,” Marksova said.
She mentioned the children’s right to have their opinion heard and taken into account in court and other proceedings.
In this respect, the Czech Republic markedly lags behind countries such as Austria and Germany, Marksova added.
The project is a part of the Right to Childhood campaign that will end in October. It includes seminars, a special website, e-learning and conferences. The costs of 13.75 million crowns have been covered by the EU together with the Czech state.
($1=24.266 crowns)
