The government of the Czech Republic is democratic. Elections are held on the basis of universal suffrage. The President appoints the Prime Minister, who selects a Cabinet and becomes head of government. Following elections held on the basis of universal suffrage, 3 political parties formed a coalition government accepted in a vote of confidence by the Chamber of Deputies. The republic is a member of the European Union.

The Lustration Law prohibits former Communist Party officials, people's militia members and secret police collaborators from holding a range of offices in state-owned companies, academia and the media. The law has been extended for an indefinite period of time. Discussion of a Code of Ethics for legislators and government officials is ongoing. Women hold 33 seats in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, 8 seats in the 81-seat Senate and 2 ministries in the Cabinet. There are no minorities in the Chamber, the Senate or the Cabinet. The Roma are not integrated into political life, although some are appointed to advisory positions in government. The judiciary is independent, but the European Court for Human Rights has criticised the government for the slowness of court proceedings.

Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, language or social status is prohibited, but social discrimination continues against women and Roma. Some security force members are accused of human rights abuses, particularly against the Roma. Efforts are being made to recruit Roma to the police force and to improve relations with the Roma community, but skinhead violence continues against Roma.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed, and an active media expresses a wide variety of views without restriction. Information inciting hatred is illegal. Internet access is not limited, and public access to government information is legislated.

The Czech Republic is a source, transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation. The government complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Dissemination of child pornography is a criminal act, and measures have been taken to prevent sex tourism. A UNICEF report described the region along the Czech/German border as a "haven for paedophilia."

Education is free and compulsory to age 15, and then free and voluntary through university. Language and barriers impede the integration of Roma children into mainstream schools, and disproportionate numbers of Roma children are in remedial schools. Roma teaching assistants in primary and special schools help teachers communicate with Roma pupils and encourage cooperation between schools and parents. Bilingual textbooks in elementary schools help overcome cultural and language differences for Roma children. Textbooks discuss the cultural and historical roots of the Roma minority. Special assistance is provided to Roma families who cannot afford to send their children to secondary schools.

A number of children attend army and police secondary schools. The status of children attending such schools has raised concern. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the draft Criminal Code should criminalise the recruitment of children into armed forces.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. 2% of ECE is private. All 22,415 ECE teachers are women. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 13 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 15. Primary school begins at age 6 years and continues for 5 years. 1% of primary education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 95%. Only 1% of students repeat grades. Of the 33,737 primary teachers, 84% are women. The PTR is 17 : 1.

Students begin secondary education at age 11 and continue for 8 years. 7% of secondary education is private. 79% of students in upper secondary education are in vocational programmes. The NER is 90%. 1% of students repeat grades. There are 39,443 teachers (82% female) in lower secondary and 53,646 teachers (55% female) in upper secondary schools. The PTR is 13 : 1 in lower secondary and 9 : 1 in upper secondary education.

287,001 students are enrolled in tertiary institutions. 10,338 foreign students come to study in the Czech Republic, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (8,098), North America and Western Europe (952), Asia (422), the Arab States (422), Sub-Saharan Africa (172) and Latin America and the Caribbean (98). At the same time, Czech students study abroad, mainly in Germany (2,483), the USA (1,052), France (662), Austria (439) and the UK (359).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited in education or in other state services, but high unemployment is reported among the disabled. Children with physical disabilities lack barrier-free access to some public schools, and there must now be at least 1 barrier-free school in each district. Over 90% of students in special schools are Roma. Graduates of special schools can attend secondary schools, but their curriculum does not always prepare them to pass the entrance exams of secondary schools.

School-related expenses are provided for Roma families who cannot afford to send their children to secondary schools, but fear of violence is reported to deter attendance.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. 2 reception centres, 6 camps and 6 integration centres are provided. Conditions at the refugee camps are said to be good. A new centre was opened to care for unaccompanied minors. Education is provided to refugee children.

The Roma are estimated to number 150,000 to 175,000 and suffer disproportionately from poverty, unemployment, inter-ethnic violence, discrimination, illiteracy and disease. Those who try to integrate into mainstream society have difficulty finding employment, so the rate of unemployment among Roma is very high. The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) has accused the government of coercive sterilization of Roma women.

The government has invested heavily in the Plan for Roma Integration, which provides for educational assistance programmes, support for kindergartens and bilingual Roma teaching assistants in schools. Some districts with high numbers of Roma children have instituted full-time kindergarten programmes to prepare children for their first year in school. The Ministry of Education estimates that 90% to 94% of children in these programmes are Roma and that 87% of children who attend the special kindergartens continue to primary school and remain in local rather than remedial schools. Police schools now teach a course titled Multicultural Education; the Human Rights Commission's Project Tolerance has an annual campaign to counter xenophobia and racism.

Legally there is no restriction of academic freedom. Political parties are banned from conducting activities at universities, though students can form their own political groups.

Women and men are equal under the law, which mandates equal pay for work of equal value. More women are employed in professions with lower average salaries, so that their average wage is almost 25% lower than that for men. Unemployment of women is 11.3% compared to 7.7% for men. A small number of women have senior positions. The law prohibits sexual harassment. Studies indicate that violence against women is more common than publicly acknowledged. Domestic violence is a criminal offence. Trafficking in women is a problem .

The minimum age for work is 15. Children who complete school earlier can work from age 14. Employment conditions for children aged 15 to 18 are subject to strict standards, and regulations are enforced.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions. About 25% of the workforce is unionised. Reports cite instances of union leaders being denied entry into meetings between employees and management. Collective bargaining is practised, though the scope of bargaining is more limited for civil servants, whose salaries are regulated by law. The International Trade Union Confederation reports that some employers attempt to negate collective agreements. The right to strike is permitted except for those in essential services.

Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited, but reports cite isolated instances. The government is investigating reports of North Korean women working under close guard in a textile factory in the country with the bulk of their earnings being sent to the North Korean government. Minimum wage standards are set by the Ministry of Labour. The monthly minimum wage is US$262 (6,700 CZK) a month. This does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The law provides for a 40-hour work week.