Czech law failing to protect children who have been victims of crimes

The Czech law is failing to protect the rights of children, who have been victims of crimes, a government committee on children's rights concluded. At a special meeting on Monday, the committee asked the cabinet minister responsible for minorities and human rights, Dzamila Stehlikova, to look into the possibility of amending the law to make it illegal to publish the names, photographs, and addresses of such children. The meeting was called in reaction to a recently uncovered child abuse case in which a single mother forced her eight-year old boy to stay in a broom cupboard. The boy's name, photograph, and even a video of him tied-up and naked have been all over the media.