Romani activists ask Czech Government not to close Human Rights Section
Romani students and youth activists have written to the Czech Government asking it to preserve the Human Rights Section at the Office of the Government. The activists say dispersing the agenda of the section between various ministries would endanger the protection of "the most vulnerable groups" in society, such as children, minorities, people living with disabilities, and seniors.
The letter was sent to the cabinet by a Crisis Committee established by young Romani people last year. The Government is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 16 January to negotiate a proposal for budget cuts to the state administration that involve the planned closure and merger of various offices. Human rights defenders from various organizations have previously called on the cabinet to abandon its plan to move various government advisory bodies to various ministries.
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"The Government’s intention to close the Human Rights Section and to entrust its agenda to various ministries could significantly endanger human rights protections in our country," the Romani youth have written to the cabinet. The Crisis Committee was created last June and its members intend to improve conditions for the Romani minority and improve its image in the eyes of society.
The authors of the letter believe the topic of human rights spans the various ministries and should therefore remain under the Government’s supervision. They also say it is misleading to claim that redistributing human rights issues between various ministries would save money. The members of the government advisory bodies managed by the Human Rights Section pose no burden to taxpayers, as they perform the work of those bodies during their free time. The authors also note that the advisory bodies have designed many proposals that have helped improve the lives of excluded people.
"We are asking you to approach human rights questions from a moral perspective and with the highest possible degree of respect, not to limit them to questions of cash flow," the letter reads. It has been signed by 29 Romani activists and Romani college students.
The agenda of Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková includes the Government Human Rights Council, the Inter-ministerial Commission for Roma Community Affairs, the Government Council for National Minorities, the Council on Non-Governmental Organizations, the Government Board for People with Disabilities, and the Agency for Social Inclusion. Šimůnková disagrees with moving the section’s agenda elsewhere and has previously stated it would mean the liquidation of the section for all practical purposes. However, even the Government Council for Drug Policy Coordination and the National Anti-Drug Coordinator are slated for transfer as well.
The Government should discuss a proposal to simplify its agenda and get rid of duplication in the state administration on Wednesday, 16 January. It is promising savings of CZK 8.7 billion (EUR 340 million) by 2014 as a result of the budget cuts. The material will be submitted by Minister without Portfolio Petr Mlsna, who is the head of the Government’s legislative team. The document also includes proposals for savings of another CZK 5 billion (EUR 195 million) which the Government will most probably need to discuss further, as agreement has not been reached on them.
