29 May 2007
Around 35,000 Belarusian children are in «socially dangerous» situation, official says
Around 35,000 children in Belarus are in a "socially dangerous" situation, Ryhor Butrym, a departmental head at the education ministry, said at a news conference in Minsk on Tuesday.
The official said that the November 24, 2006 presidential decree was a "serious and significant step in streamlining work" in the sphere.
The presidential decree allows authorities to remove children from "immoral" or "neglectful" parents without a court order and requires the parents to compensate the government for the maintenance of their children. It has drawn criticism from some experts, who say that Article 32 of the constitution declares that children may be removed from their family against the will of their parents only by a court order.
Mr. Butrym said that following the enactment of the decree, the ministry held meetings in provinces to study the document in detail and discuss an action plan for its execution. He said that the documents had made it possible to identify a "new model for the protection of children in a socially dangerous situation."
According to him, the number of newly abandoned children dropped from more than 5,000 in 2005 to around 4,000 in 2006.
Yury Kulakowski, chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Ethnic Relations and the Media in the House of Representatives, in his turn, described the decree as a revolutionary act by the head of state aimed at making life "comfortable" for Belarusian children. He added that the decree gave an opportunity to "put a tangible screen" against anti-social behavior. //BelaPAN
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