Prague, July 19 (CTK) – A rising number of distraints, unaccessible housing and the unequal position of men and women are the most urgent problems of Czech society, says the national report of the Czech coalition of Social Watch NGO released at a press conference on Thursday.
The analysis authors also warn of the neglecting of the Agenda 2030 U.N. strategic document that concerns the fulfilment of the sustainable development goals.
“The most urgent problem in the Czech Republic is the excessive debt level of households and a number of property distraints that almost 10 percent of inhabitants over 15 face,” the report says.
Radek Habl, the author of the chapter on indebtedness, says he can see the risk mainly in the fact that 95 percent of new distraint proceedings were launched against the people who had already faced another distraint.
An amendment to the insolvency law should help solve the problems that would enable people to get rid of their debts.
Though the Czech economy is thriving, the distraint rate is rising, which is a paradox, Habl said.
The Social Watch report also highlights the problems connected with the access to housing, mainly in cities.
“The shortage of flats contributes to the trading in poverty, which the public administration is unable to solve and politicians ignore constantly, arguing with the free market,” the authors say.
Social Watch considers the unequal position of men and women in Czech society a long-term problem that is most apparently manifested in the gender pay gap.
“Women in the Czech Republic earn 21.8 percent less than men on average and in the EU, we are placed last but one in this respect, only Estonia is worse,” the study says, referring to the Eurostat data.
The Social Watch international network operates in 96 countries, associating several hundred organisations. It annually issues reports assessing the progress and shortcomings in the fight with poverty and promoting gender equality. Since 2015, when the U.N. adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, Social Watch has also focused on monitoring the commitments leading to the fulfilment of these goals.
