The fundamental human right to dignity is the cornerstone of European legal culture. The right has been provided for in international, European, and national legal instruments. Its role as a benchmark reference for all other human rights has developed into a self-standing and self-executing right, especially under the new EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. This evolution from the traditional role of the right to dignity is analysed in case study based on a real case before the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic in 2015. The analysis brings forward a reflection about the need to respect the concept of dignity and how it actually is observed in the European context.

W artykule autorki przedstawiają metody pracy partycypacyjnej z dziećmi w Domu Sierot, wykorzystywane przez Janusza Korczaka – żydowsko-polskiego pedagoga, lekarza, pisarza i działacza praw dziecka. Zwracają uwagę na możliwości zastosowania metod Korczaka we współczesnym świecie – zwłaszcza w pracy międzykulturowej z dziećmi w trudnych warunkach ich funkcjonowania, w okresie wzmożonych ruchów migracyjnych i pogłębiających się nierówności społecznych. Odwołują się do aspektów praw dziecka, ich aktywności i uczestnictwa w ramach podejścia edukacyjnego zainicjowanego przez Korczaka. Jest to podejście oparte na wartościach szacunku dla dziecka i współpracy w partnerstwie z dzieckiem.

The problem of discrepancies in the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court regarding the transcription of a foreign birth certificates of a children of same-sex couples in the light of the Constitution of the Republic od Poland of 2nd April 1997

In recent years, refusal to transcribe birth certificates of children of same-sex couples has increasingly become the subject of decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court. This extremely current and at the same time complicated legal problem has been subjected in this study to a multifaceted study. The interpretation of the provisions regulating the issue of birth certificates allowed to define their place in the process of creating the child`s identity. On the other hand, the analysis of the case law made in the second part of the article made it possible to indicate specific consequences of the refusal to transfer foreign birth certificate to the national register of marital status. The most important and at the same time the most extensive part of the considerations is, however, the reference of the legal effects of the adopted solutions to the basic constitutional and international principles and values. Such a broad approach to the problem provided the basis for formulating final conclusions as to the rightness of the actions taken by the Polish state to protect the domestic legal order.

The protection of children’s personal data as part of their right to privacy and information autonomy is extremely important. Year in, year out, the number of children using the Internet and services increases. This means that there need to be special tools and techniques established to protect children’s right to privacy. It is particularly important when children use services provided by companies after other, than local, jurisdiction. As they may not fully understand risk associated with exposing themselves in the Intranet, this is crucial for governmental authorities to ensure that children are protected. The aim of the article is to review current legislation protecting children’s personal data both in European Union and State of California. This particular state has been chosen for two reasons: firstly dozens of internet services providers are based in this state, secondly it would be difficult to ignore that this state was the first to introduce new data protection regulation which in many aspects brings US data protection law closer to European standards. Taking into consideration European Union regulation it is necessary to assess whether the current data protection regime in California answers adequacy requirements and whether data may be freely transferred to this territory.

The Institution of a Child Representative in the Context of the Right to a Court (with a Special Reference to Proceedings in Family Matters)

The purpose of the article is to present the institution of the child representative in the context of the constitutional right to a court against the background of family cases. The paper characterises the right to court and the right to be represented, in particular the right to be heard. The new institution of family law – the child’s representative – acting in some countries as a guardian ad litem or guardian ad litem – is presented. The child as the subject of his or her rights should be guaranteed the right to be heard and to have his or her views represented. The paper analyses the institution of the child representative and its importance by the child’s best interests. The institution of a child representative is a regulation that has the potential to increase the participation of children in court procedures, which is particularly important in family proceedings.