Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Ernő KÁLLAI, Deputy-Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, responsible for the Rights of Nationalities

 

 

 

Studies

 

2008                Ph.D. degree in legal theory and legal sociology at the Deák Ferenc Doctoral School of Law and Political Sciences, University of Miskolc

1997 - 2002     Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law and Political Sciences - lawyer

1994 - 1998     Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Arts - secondary school teacher of history

1990 - 1994     Eszterházy Károly Teacher Training College - teacher specialised in history and music

1994 - 1995     Journalism School - certified journalist

1995                Hungarian Radio - news editor and radio journalist

 

Employment

 

2010                Eszterházy Károly College, Faculty of Teacher Training and Knowledge Technology - head of department

2009                University of Debrecen, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Department of Constitutional Law - guest professor

2008                Corvinus University of Budapest, Post-graduate specialist training programme in equality and minority issues - mentor and guest professor

2007                Parliamentary Commissioner for National and Ethnic Minority Rights

2002 - 2010     Apor Vilmos Catholic College, Institute of Romology and Applied Social Sciences - head of institute, college professor

1998                Hungarian Academy of Sciences Ethnic and National Minority Research Institute - Head of research group on Romology

1999 - 2002     Miskolc University, Department of Sociology, professor

1996 - 1998     member of staff of the Roma Civil Rights Foundation

1988 - 1997     teacher at various educational institutions

 

Scholarships

 

2000 - 2002     Civic Education Project

1997 - 1999     Soros Foundation

1998 - 2002     European Roma Rights Centre

1997 - 1999     Roma Civil Rights Foundation, „Invisible College" for Roma students

 

Public and professional activities

 

2007 -              Member of the Equal Treatment Professional Advisory Board

2002- 2005      Member of the board of trustees of the Autonomy Foundation

1998- 2004      Member of the board of trustees of the Gandhi Public Foundation

 

Membership of professional organisations

 

Hungarian Sociological Society - member of the Presidential Board

Hungarian Academy of Science - member of the Public Body

Hungarian Association of Lawyers

Hungarian Society of Political Sciences

Hungarian Ethnographical Society

 

Awards

 

2006                Award for Minorities

2005                honoured by the National Gypsy Self-Government for excellence in research

 

Main areas of research using empirical data survey in the past years

 

  • Emergence of cultural rights of the minority communities'
  • The new paradigms of handling of ethnic data
  • Roma entrepreneurs in Hungary
  • Research on local Gypsy minority self-governments
  • The past and present of Gypsy musicians
  • The social history of the Hungarian Roma in the 20th century
  • Equal opportunities of Roma in Hungary. Self-governance, positive discrimination, and the role of education in improving the situation of the Roma - theoretical and practical models
  • The theoretical models and practice in Hungary of local Gypsy minority self-governments
  • The cultural autonomy of minorities

null Mobile Educational Point Dedicated to Children’s Rights Inaugurated by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary

Dr. Ákos Kozma, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, inaugurated a mobile educational point on 20 November, 2024, at ÁGOTA Village to celebrate World Children's Day. The initiative marks the anniversary of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, a cornerstone of international legal protection.

In his opening speech, Dr. Ákos Kozma emphasized that the Convention on the Rights of the Child remains a key standard and point of reference today. It has not only shaped legal systems, regulations, and practices but has also influenced how we view children, parents, rights, and the state's responsibilities. Children are individuals with their own rights, dignity, will, and identity, deserving of the respect, attention, and appreciation afforded to adults. Mere acknowledgment is insufficient; states must continually work to ensure these conditions are upheld.


Several distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including Dr. János Kothencz, General Director of the Szent Ágota Child Protection Service; Major General János Schmehl, Deputy Director General of the Hungarian Prison Service; Brigadier General Dr. Zsolt Gulyás, Police Commissioner of Bács-Kiskun County and senior executives from the precinct, Ferenc SULYOK, CEO of KEFAG Zrt., and executives from the Csongrád-Csanád County Police Headquarters.

The mobile educational point introduced at ÁGOTA Falva will travel to children’s homes across the country to support children's awareness of their rights. The program will include short films, followed by a quiz to assess the children’s knowledge. In addition, there will be fun activities like a wheel of fortune and a mystery bag game, where the children can select gifts.

During the ceremonial opening, the next phase of the children's home renovation program was announced: the commencement of the Ágota Falva landscaping works starting on November 21, 2024. These landscaping efforts are part of the ombudsman’s initiative, carried out with the collaboration of the Hungarian Prison Service and the State Secretary for Forest and Land Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture.


It is our shared responsibility to create a world where every child can live in safety, love, and dignity. Let’s do everything we can to ensure that these goals are not just distant ideals but become a reality!

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