New Czech Government committee focuses on crime victims, including the victims of bias crime, expert says their needs must be analyzed
Crime victims' needs, including for the protection of their rights, are the focus of a new committee of the Czech Government Human Rights Council. It met for the first time on 24 April 2025.
The committee wants to focus gradually on educating professionals, outreach and prevention, proposing changes to legislation, and strengthening aid organizations. The Czech News Agency (ČTK) was informed about the plan by Petra Schwarz Koutská, a member of Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková’s team.
“Currently we want to focus more on the specific needs of victims. The state guarantees professional aid to particularly vulnerable victims – for instance, to children, to human trafficking victims, to the victims of sexualized violence or bias crime. However, there are gaps in the Czech Republic’s system and the victims frequently do not receive the support they need,” the Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner said in a press release.
Bias attacks are very serious and frequently ignored. Have you become the victim of a bias attack in the Czech Republic? Call the free phone line of the In IUSTITIA organization, 800 922 922, or contact the ROMEA organization.
“The committee’s first task will be to analyze the existing state of support to victims, the lack of a strategy for victim care, and the legislative transformations planned as a result of the compulsory implementation of EU directives during the last two years,” Klára Kalibová, a lawyer, told news server Romea.cz. According to the Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner, the committee is following up on the activity of the Working Group on Effective Criminal Justice.
That working group also reports to the Czech Government Human Rights Council. Schwarz Koutská said the new committee members are representatives of state institutions and nonprofit organizations, and its chair will be the head of the Association of Organizations Providing Services to Crime Victims – “Victima” as well as the head of the proFem organization, Jitka Poláková.
The composition of the committee, details about its work, and its statutes have not yet been officially posted online. Poláková said organizations aiding victims have been attempting to establish a body that would advocate for change at a “high political level” for several years.
“We welcome this symbolic step as a show of interest in the subject of victims’ access to justice,” the new committee chair said. The Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner also mentioned the revision of the EU Victims’ Rights Directive.
The commissioner said that the revision process represents an opportunity to propose the necessary transformation to the system of support for victims in the Czech Republic. The committee will focus on upholding commitments flowing from international conventions, drawing inspiration from good practice abroad, said Schwarz Koutská.
What is bias crime?
Bias crime is motivated by the perpetrator’s prejudice toward the group which the perpetrator sees the targeted victim as representing. Such crimes can take different forms – bodily harm, psychological pressure, vandalism, or verbal attacks.
