Round table under the title „A child is a gift, not a commodity.“
Since its inception, Luč pre Dieťa has dealt with unauthorized removals of Slovak children abroad. Our organization has been helping families in difficult life situations for a long time, such as domestic violence, children removed from their families. I am of the opinion that every child has the right to grow up in his country, in his culture in his native language. Due to my rich experience, in cooperation with the Children’s Commissariat, I invited the institutions to a joint meeting at the round table.
The Commissioner deals not only with the rights of children located on the territory of the Slovak Republic, but with all Slovak children. This also means children from families who went abroad, but kept their Slovak citizenship. Last year, our authorities provided cooperation in 128 new cases of removal of minor children from Slovak families. This is still an alarmingly high number. We must pay attention to preventive measures, especially the education of Slovaks living abroad, as well as those who are still planning to leave, so that they perceive the legislative differences of individual countries.
A strong topic that is focused on lost, or in the best case, taken away Slovak children in the social system of the countries of the current and former monarchy, or the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, simply countries where there are a large number of expatriates who live in these areas. The participants of the meeting were representatives of concerned institutions such as CIPC, UKPD, MFA SR, well-known child psychiatrist MUDr. Terézia Rosenbergerová and Iveta Galbavá, where the consular workers themselves, who had the opportunity to join the discussion online, also talked about specific cases in the given areas. As an organizer and long-time campaigner for the return of Slovak children taken abroad, Dagmar Szabó, a Slovak living in England, chairperson and founder of Lúča pre Dieťa, I pointed out specific shortcomings in the legislation, while realistically presenting how the entire process of child removal will take place in England. In many cases, withdrawals are banality from the point of view of our culture. Therefore, it is very important to know the systems of the countries in which we decide to start a family. Each country has its own system. And what powers do we have and what should we do in such a case first, all of that took place today at the Children’s Commissioner’s floor. Please address this issue, because our children can never become the object of trade…
Autor : Dagmar Szabó
FOTO: Úrad komisára pre detí
