2012 Report on the State of Human Rights
The report is divided into two parts – general and special part. The first one is dedicated to institutional ensuring of the protection of human rights and the international dimension of this issue. The special part is structured into the topics focused on civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, discrimination, children´s rights and the rights and status of foreigners.
The most problematic issues in the last area include delays in residence permit proceedings or the functioning of the VISAPOINT system. Or the restrictive government policy on foreign employment that through internal legal acts without legal support may lead to an increase of illegal employment. The protection of the foreigners in the human trafficking and labour exploitation is improving, but the political participation remains limited. Moreover, the access to health care for certain groups of foreigners that are excluded from public health insurance is still restricted.
According to the report, integration policy is based on the support for foreigners in all phases of the integration process, including the information material for foreigners from third countries who plan on relocating to the Czech Republic on a long-term basis.
The new legislations in obtaining of citizenship brings positive steps, but also some controversial, such as paternity genetic tests or conditions of obtaining of citizenship for children of parents-apatrids. Following the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, there will be implemented the court´s power to order the immediate release of asylum seekers from the reception centre if detained illegally. The foreigners before expulsion have to face the lack of using the other alternatives to the detention and placement of minors and families with children into the detention facilities. Moreover, the Council suggests the government should emit the new draft of the foreign act as a solution of certain problems mentioned in the report.