News

The Czech ombudsman's office for children handled 8,285 complaints last year, up from around 7,450 in 2024, according to its annual report. The office identified errors by public authorities in 549 cases. The report highlights persistent shortcomings in the protection of vulnerable children, including fragmented responsibilities across ministries and delays in reforming care for children with disabilities or mental illnesses. The children's ombudsman agenda received 1,345 complaints in 2025, including 161 directly from children. The institution says creating a children's ombudsman was an important milestone, but systemic reforms are still urgently needed.

Czech police and the Interior Ministry are warning that children face increased risks online during the summer holidays, when many spend more time on the internet because of loneliness or a lack of structured activities.

A new prevention campaign highlights the dangers of cyber grooming, showing how online manipulation, coercion and exploitation can develop. Research also suggests that some schoolchildren would agree to meet strangers they first encountered online.

The Interior Ministry has allocated around CZK 40 million this year to support child protection measures, including helplines, assistance for vulnerable children and violence prevention programs. Experts also continue to advise parents against posting photographs of their children on social media.

Saturday should be clear to partly cloudy and dry around the country with day temperatures between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius.

A smart recording device found earlier this year in the Czech government's cabinet chamber at the Straka Academy belonged to Sports Minister Boris Šťastný, he said after media reports raised questions about the discovery.

The news website Seznam Zprávy reported that neither the police nor the intelligence services had been informed after the device was found in the government meeting room.

Šťastný, a member of the Motorists party, said the device was an AI-powered recorder he uses to transcribe his notes and speeches and that he had lost it several months ago. He added that the media report had finally revealed where it had ended up.

A government spokeswoman said the device posed no security risk, despite the fact that the cabinet discusses classified matters in the chamber and strict rules apply to recording. In response to journalists’ questions she said the recorder was discovered by staff during routine cleaning. It was reportedly switched off and not concealed, indicating that it had simply been misplaced.