29 March 2024, Friday, 11:45
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State To Take Away ‘Social Parasites’ Children?

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State To Take Away ‘Social Parasites’ Children?
ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO

A family in Homel was recognized as socially dangerous, since the mother did not have a job.

In our country, families are not so difficult to be ilisted as socially dangerous, as it would seem at first glance. Not only the families of alcoholics or drug addicts get into the list, provided for by the Decree #18, Belsat reports.

Natallia Belaya’s daughter was considered to be in a socially dangerous situation because, giving the child to the kindergarten, Natallia was unemployed.

“When the manager found out that I’m divorced, my daughter lives with me, and I didn’t have official earnings, she made a decision for herself - as she said in court - “to recognize this family as socially dangerous, ”says Natallia Belaya, the mother from Homel, affected by the Decree #18.

Decree #18 “On Additional Measures for the State Protection of Children in Dysfunctional Families” entered into force in 2007. The document was supposed to coordinate the work of institutions that protect the interests of the child - to help identify cases of child insecurity.

“Most often this is really a socially dangerous situation. When a child just needs to be saved. We have the opportunity, if a child is recognized to be in a socially dangerous position, to give them free meals once a day. You know, children are just hungry,” says Volha Konanava, a primary school teacher, Mahiliou.

It would seem a good thing, protecting the interests of the child. But human rights activists argue that decree #18 is basically repressive.

“Decree #18 allows any state services of any level to apply repressive measures to undesirable parents, unwanted children and their families,” comments Natallia Shkadun, a human rights activist, Mahiliou.

Refusal of vaccinations or irregular visits to a clinic by a child, business style of clothes instead of school uniform or active citizenship of parents - if you wish, almost every family can be registered as socially dangerous, and they can even take away children.

“And finding normal families - a very large percentage of families are normal - is to fulfill the work plans of social and pedagogical centers, the administration and, possibly, some other ideological structures,” adds human rights activist from Mahiliou Natallia Shkadun.

According to statistics, more than half of the seized children are later returned back to their families. Meanwhile, the work of many commissions, centers and administrations sometimes does not protect against real danger.

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