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The aim of the project was to find out how the opinions of minor children are ascertained in proceedings in which they are participants, what techniques are used, and whether (and to what extent) the courts take the ascertained opinions into account when making decisions that affect the children's future life. The rights of children to adequate participation in court proceedings mainly results from the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The paper discusses how the child's opinion is ascertained depending on his or her age, the methods of ascertaining the child's opinion, including the specific techniques that may be used and, last but not least, the importance of ascertaining the child's opinion for the justification of the judgment. The results of the research show the crucial role of an authority of social and legal protection of children as a conflict guardian, and also point out that it's necessary to pay constant attention to the actual realization of the rights of minors. In the Czech Republic the determination of the opinions of minors is well anchored in the legislation, but reality does not always correspond to this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of children and their rights is one of the fundamental topics in all democratic states. The objective of the quantitative research was to find out how minors are engaged in the court proceedings regarding their upbringing and whether the court takes their views into account when it comes to decision-making. The research is rooted in two key concepts - child participation and the form of their participation. Method: The research sample was made up of court decisions involving the upbringing of minors, and finally and firmly terminated in 2015 and 2016 at two district courts in one region in the Czech Republic. The content analysis of documents was used to collect the data. Results: The final selected data resulting from one-dimensional and two-dimensional analysis deliver interesting, and often alarming findings. Discussion: The resulting data are in conflict with valid legislation, but they often confirm the rigid Czech judiciary practice in the area of decision-making when it comes to the upbringing of a minor. All these findings are properly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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OBJECTIVES: The objective of the quantitative research was to find out how and to what extent minors are engaged in the court proceedings regarding their upbringing and maintenance, and whether the court takes their views into account when it comes to decision-making. THEORETICAL BASE: It is based on legislative and professional legal literature. The research is rooted in two key concepts - child participation and the form of their participation. METHODS: The research sample was made up of court decisions involving the upbringing and maintenance of minors, and finally and firmly terminated in 2015 and 2016 at two district courts in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The content analysis of documents was used to collect the data. OUTCOMES: The resulting data brings interesting and often alarming findings that are in conflict with valid legislation, but they often confirm the rigid Czech judiciary practice in the area of decision-making when it comes to the upbringing of a minor. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: The research results can be used for both the professional public in the area of the social and legal protection of children and the judicial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term population decline of the little owl has been recorded in Western Europe and available evidence also suggests severe range restriction in many Central European regions. Using two nationwide volunteer-based monitoring programmes during the years 2009-2016, we investigated distribution, population density and breeding associations of the little owl in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Across the two countries combined, the average population density of the little owl was 0.19 calling males/10 km². However, the population density was markedly higher in Slovakia (0.36 calling males/10 km²) than in the Czech Republic (0.09 calling males/10 km²). The overall breeding population of the little owl was estimated at 130 breeding pairs in the Czech Republic and 550 in Slovakia. Compared to the situation two decades ago, those estimates represented a 87-94 % decline in the breeding population in the Czech Republic and a 31-45 % reduction in Slovakia. Our data also revealed marked distributional range contraction of the little owl, indicating rapid local extinctions over the last two decades. The analysis of expected breeding places of the little owl confirmed a strong preference for man-made objects over the original breeding sites in tree cavities. In the light of our present results, we propose urgent preparation and implementation of a species action plan with conservation measures to halt the little owl's steep decline in Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Education / Sociální Pedagogika is the property of Tomas Bata University, Research Centre of the Faculty of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)