Centrum pro lidská práva a demokracii

Nezávislá akademická instituce, která sleduje lidská práva v Česku i ve světě. Centrum vydává měsíční online časopis, pořádá konference a zajišťuje informování o lidských právech.

24. 8. 2020   Zuzana Andreska

The international NGO, University Women of Europe, brought a claim before the European Committee of Social Rights that 15 European states have failed to enforce the right to work and the right to fair remuneration by not making any measurable progress in decreasing the gender pay gap. The NGO equally pointed out that only a small number of women occupy decision-making positions within private companies. In reaction to the first collective complaint ever filed against all state parties to the European Social Charter, the Committee declared that 14 states have violated at least one of their obligations.  

​Gender equality is an idea that the feminist movement has been trying to achieve for centuries. Human rights treaties and their enforcement mechanisms are one of the means of reaching this goal. Non-discrimination clauses and aspiration to the idea of equality can be found in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as in Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. There are also specific treaties which were adopted solely for the purpose of combating gender inequality, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) or the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (2011). 

20. 8. 2020   Tereza Šťastná

Čínská lidová republika schválila na konci června tohoto roku nový národní bezpečnostní zákon pro Hongkong, který dle kritiků usnadňuje trestání protestujících a snižuje autonomii města. Proti přijetí demonstrovaly v ulicích stovky lidí, některé osoby byly na základě nového zákona již zatčeny.

Pozadí národního bezpečnostního zákona

Od 30. června 2020 platí na území Hongkongu nový bezpečnostní zákon, který přijal Stálý výbor Národního lidového kongresu (National People's Congress Standing Committee,  NPCSC). Tento předpis, který byl připravován v utajení v Pekingu, dává možnost čínské vládě ovlivňovat autonomní oblast Hongkongu tak jako nikdy předtím. Kritici tvrdí, že  zákon omezuje lidská práva a demokratické hodnoty, zejména pak právo na protest a svobodu projevu. Čínská lidová republika  (ČLR) naopak uvedla, že do bývalého koloniálního města vrátí stabilitu.

11. 8. 2020   Eva Kostolanská

Some pressing questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic appeared in the last months. Have the states acted appropriately and reasonably? How did the virus spread? Is it preventable? Were there any successful paths of fighting that we can follow when another pandemic starts to spread? A global commission of inquiry could give us some answers. The World Health Organization has already undertaken steps to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, including China’s handling of the initial outbreak.

The first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred with every state doing its maximum to protect the people from the spreading disease. Now, after a number of states have started mitigating the measures they had taken, we can see another part of the COVID-19 story unfolding. For all of us, it is the first time we can stop and evaluate the past few months and whether the states acted appropriately.

6. 8. 2020   Douglas Radcliff

The United States is currently undergoing changes in its society. However, these changes have been long overdue. Most notably has been a fight to increase police transparency and to better hold police officers accountable for their wrongdoings, leading to an increasing divide between those supporting the protests and those against the protests. Why are the protests occurring and what do they mean for a possible future of the US?

The Start of “Black Lives Matter”

In 2012, George Zimmerman, a captain on a “neighborhood watch” in Sanford, Florida called the authorities with reports of a suspicious person. The authorities clearly informed Zimmerman to stand down, not leave his vehicle and to not approach the person. However, Zimmerman disregarded every single one of these instructions and ended up shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old carrying a bag of skittles and a bottle of juice. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted of all charges in the case. As of December 4, 2019, Zimmerman filed a $100 million lawsuit against Martin’s parents. The lawsuit accuses prosecutors, Martin’s parents and authorities of witness tampering. 

27. 7. 2020   Tereza Ciupková

Human trafficking for sexual purposes has become one of the most profitable violations of human rights. There are an estimated 40 million victims of human trafficking, 71% of whom are women. One of the countries with the highest number of victims of sex trafficking is Nigeria. Most Nigerian women leave their homes in hopes of a better future, but in reality become victims of a very organized and sophisticated net of human trafficking and sexual slavery.

The Nigerian wave of immigration to Europe had already begun in the 80s, when mostly women saw a possibility of economic improvement by leaving Africa and moving to Europe. Many of them travelled with false documents and became prostitutes in European cities as finding regular jobs was difficult without legal status in the country. While lying about the reality to their families, many Nigerian families saved and even borrowed money to send other children to Europe as well.

20. 7. 2020   Simona Úlehlová

Nutnost legislativního zakotvení problematiky léčitelských služeb je dána zvyšujícím se počtem osob v České republice poskytujících služby v oblasti komplementární a alternativní medicíny. Proto Ministerstvo zdravotnictví ČR připravilo návrh zákona o léčitelských službách a o změně zákona o správních poplatcích. 

Návrh zákonné úpravy de lege ferenda by měl reflektovat a upravovat poskytování léčitelských služeb, podmínky jejich poskytování a s tím spojený výkon státní správy v této oblasti v návaznosti na rezoluce Světového zdravotnického shromáždění WHA67.18 z roku 2014 a WHA69.24 z roku 2016, vydaných na základě Strategie WHO pro tradiční medicínu 2014-2023 a Rezoluce 1206 Parlamentního shromáždění Rady Evropy. Zda návrh zákona zachycuje podstatu, po které zástupci alternativní medicíny volali, je však otázkou.

15. 7. 2020   Douglas Radcliff

Through constant technological advances, many questions regarding human rights arise. Does artificial intelligence and technology play a role in human rights? If so, does it help to protect human rights or does technology infringe upon them in certain ways? 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is “the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.” This can include many forms of technology, including security camera services, computers, phones, etc. On the one hand technology leads to economic growth and new discoveries, however, it is important to also recognize that technological advances have the ability to lead to increased access to personal information of most people in society. For example, the Australian Human Rights Commission fears that both the government and the public in general are behind the speed of technological development; in other words, neither recognizes the full force of technology.