Many children in the Czech Republic live in children's homes and some groups of children are discriminated against. At the same time, there is very little awareness of children's rights in the Czech public at large and among professionals who come into daily contact with children. The International Institute for the Rights of the Child (Institut international des Droits de l'Enfant, IDE) and the Czech non-profit organisation Česko-britská want to change this. Among other objectives they are working within the framework of the partnership fund to ensure that children's rights are incorporated in vocational education and training programmes for professionals in the fields of social work and education.
This collaboration has produced three publications, including "A Study on the Rights of the Child" (2011). In 2013 the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic cited this publication in a ruling concerning a child. The judgment and the court opinion were then sent to all courts in the country as a precedent for similar cases.
Two years later, the two organisations published a study entitled "Ways to School Respecting and Fulfilling the Rights of the Child". In 2014, they published "Participation and new approaches to working with children and families at risk."
Basis for an EU programme
The Czech Ministry for Education, Youth and Sport used these publications as the basis for a public call for tenders for the new EU operational programme "Research, Development and Education" in June 2015. The programme focuses on the social integration of children, particularly pre-school education, preventing academic failure and the professional development of teachers.
Switzerland is providing CHF 5 million to support 93 projects in the Czech Republic. It is thereby promoting the exchange of knowledge and information between Czech institutions and Swiss partners.