Crisis worsens human rights implementation

Prague, Nov 12 (CTK) - The economic and financial crisis has worsened the implementation of human rights in the Czech Republic, Marek Hrubec told CTK yesterday when the Czech coalition Social Watch released a report on the state of poverty and gender inequality.

According to the report, the global crisis has probably hit mainly foreigners, single mothers and some Romanies.

Hrubec said the negative trends will probably further deepen.

The report sums up last year's polls by seven Czech organisations associated under the Czech coalition Social Watch that is part of the Social Watch international organisation focusing on social human rights.

The financial situation of a majority of inhabitants was deteriorating last year while the crisis impacts the most tragically foreign workers, particularly from Asia, the report says.

It says they are the first to be dismissed. Due to the bad legislation, most of them depend on jobs mediating agencies and their position on the labour market is very unstable.

They fall into big debts before travelling to the Czech Republic. Their return home is a personal failure for them and it financially threatens their families, the report says.

It says women's percentage in public life remains very low. The difference in pay between women and men exceeded the EU average in 2007 and amounted to 19.7 percent, according to the report.

The report also points to the critical lack of nurseries and kindergartens.

The report says every other small- and medium-sized firm has had to dismiss employees and shorten their hours or is planning to do so over the crisis.

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