22. 2. 201112:32
Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková
Government Human Rights Commissioner from February 16th 2011 to October 17th 2013.
Biography
Personal data:
Born 25 December 1972 in Prague.
Education:
- September 1979 - June 1987 Elementary school, Prague 4
- September 1987 - June 1991 Secondary school on Korunní Street in Prague 2 - specialisation in foreign languages
- September 1991 - May 1999 Law Faculty of Charles University in Prague. Dissertation: The issue of European Community directives with regard to corresponding judicature from the European Court of Justice
- October 1995 - July 1996 Law Faculty of the University of Passau, Germany. A two-semester scholarship study was completed with a diploma 'Urkunde über Grundkenntnisse des deutschen Rechts.'
Work experience:
- July-August 1992 Work experience at the commercial law offices of JUDr. Ovsík
- July 1993 Work experience at the law offices of Brinkmann-Wittig-Tröster – Rechtsanwälte, Worms, Germany
- October 1997 – November 2001 Rödl & Partner – international law, audit and tax advisory office (student practice from October 1997, employed from June 1999 as a clerk)
- November 2001 - January 2003 Law offices of Giese & Partner – employed as a clerk
- December 2002 Bar exam – successfully passed
- February 2003 - April 2003 Hilderstone College, Broadstairs, England – intensive course in English
- May 2003 - July 2003 Law offices of Osborne Clarke, London, England - expert clerkship
- October 2003 - December 2003 Law offices of Urge & Černohlávek - external cooperation to prepare a project for an Austrian leasing company
- March 2004 - June 2010 Nonprofit sector - the Naše dítě [Our Child] Foundation (child protection, www.nasedite.cz) - lawyer, director's representative, founder and manager of several projects, representing the foundation to the media (TV, radio, printed media), press conferences, appearances at Czech and international forums (in the Czech Republic and abroad and in EU institutions)
- Active work in the area of nonprofit sector legislation, legislation relating to children and children's rights (including missing and abused children) internet security, domestic violence, etc. (participation in ministerial working groups, at roundtables of the Interior Ministry, at the Parliament of the Czech Republic, occasional representation of the foundation at the Committe for Children's Rights at the Council of the Government of the Czech Republic for human rights)
- Founder and manager of the Legal Assistance Hotline (free legal assistance for the public in the area of children's rights)
- Manager of the Grant Hearings for distributing financial resources from the Foundation Investment Fund
- Head of the Internet Hotline project (the first internet hotline for fighting child pornography and for a safer internet, cooperation with the Czech Police), representing the foundation at INHOPE, the international organisation unifying these hotlines worldwide (www.inhope.org)
- Represented the foundation at the eNACSO international organisation (the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online, www.enacso.eu)
- April 2007 - October 2009 Member of the board of the Linka bezpečí [Safe Line] association (www.linkabezpeci.cz)
- October 2007 - April 2009 member of the board of EURONET (European Children´s Network), an international children's rights organisation based in Brussels
- January 2006 - As the founder and manager of the Legal Assistance Hotline, the Naše dítě Foundation received the Lawyer of the Year award in the category of Family Law on behalf of the Legal Assistance Hotline collective.
- 2007 - Member of the working group in the Justice Ministry for issues of international kidnapping of children and enforcement of child removal decisions
- 2007-2009 - Member of the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry's expert panel on the issue of international kidnapping of children
- 2008-2009 - Member of the Justice Ministry's working group for mediation on non-criminal matters
Active participation at the following conferences:
- 2004 - 2005 Represented the Czech Republic in the Child Focus AGIS international project and prepared a study on the topic of "Current scope fo the phenomenon of missing and sexually abused children in the Czech Republic" (published in book form in the publication Missing and Sexually Exploited Children in the Enlarged EU – Epidemiological Data in the New Member States – 2005, edited by Prof. G. Vermeulen)
- 2004, 2005 - International seminar as part of the AGIS programme - Working Together in Child Protection
- October 2007 - Justice Ministry project "When a Parent Kidnaps Their Own Child" - contribution on "The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations - Assistance in Resolving Family Crises"
- November 2009 - The Czech Bar Association's Femina Iuris conference - contribution on "Possibilities of Legal Assistance in Child Protection and the Nonprofit Sector"
- December 2009 - "Meet Safely" Panel discussion in the Czech Senate under the auspices of PaedDr. Gajdůšková and JUDr. Antl
- March 2010 – Contribution on "Extrajudicial Protection of the Child and the Use of Mediation and Legal Cooperation in Solving Family Problems" at the European Conciliation Institute symposium on Discrimination Against Children and Protection of Their Rights" - held at Křtiny u Brna
- 2007 – 2010 Representing the foundation at international forums as a member in the internatioanl organisations EURONET, INHOPE, Child Focus (Missing Children Europe) and eNACSO
Language courses and training:
- 1990-1994 State Language School in Prague - German
- January - May 1993 Goethe Institut Prag – Sprachkurs Deutsch Mittelstufe
- April 1996 University of Passau, Germany – Zeugnis über den Nachweis deutscher Sprachkenntnisse
- 1996/1997 The British Council – General English course
- 1997 ROLINO Language Studio – English
- February 2003 - April 2003 Hilderstone College, Broadstairs, England – intensive course in English
- 2005 - Passed the TOEFL English language exams