PS: Children Insufficiently Protected from Domestic Corporal Punishment by Law

Bratislava, November 20 (TASR) - The law in Slovakia doesn't sufficiently protect children from domestic physical punishment, Progressive Slovakia MPs Lucia Plavakova and Ondrej Prostrednik opined on Wednesday, noting that they plan to present an amendment to remedy this next year. "Specifically, we'll modify the provision that currently enshrines parents' right to use appropriate educational means. Instead, this paragraph will oblige parents to provide respectful upbringing without the use of any kind of violence," explained Prostrednik. The MP claimed that he considers it important that a wider debate should launched in society concerning whether corporal punishment in the family environment is unacceptable, noting that the relevant Slovak legislation isn't in line with the international Convention on the Rights of the Child. Meanwhile, Plavakova remarked that violence against children has been publicly known for a long time, but no solutions have been presented. The MP pointed out that hatred is nurtured in society, often by political leaders. "This also affects the most vulnerable groups of the population, which undoubtedly include children," she said. On this note, she condemned the fact that even Children's Commissioner Jozef Miklosko hasn't clearly opposed corporal punishment within families. zel/df