KDH party vice-chair Miroslava Szitova has spoken out against the practices of British social services as the number of cases of Slovak chiildren being taken into care continues to rise.
Szitova pointed out how the number of cases is increasing, even though the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family planned to draw up a memorandum a year ago aimed at limiting such cases to a minimum. The plan, though, was apparently never put into practice. Szitova underlined the incompatibility of British, Slovak and EU legislation in this area, referring to the British laws as absurd.
Speaking on behalf of the KDH party, she therefore demanded that labour minister Jan Richter inform parliament about the current status of the plan to conclude a memorandum with Britain on the subject of forced adoptions and the removal of children from their birth parents. She also called on the minister to provide figures on the number of Slovak children who have been taken by social services in Britain and how many have been returned to their families.
Szitova claims that around 2,420 children from Eastern Europe found themselves in such a situation in Britain in 2012, with almost 3,100 in 2013. An estimated 200 Slovak children have been taken into care in Britain, where the restrictive system makes it hard for parents to protect themselves and fight for their rights. The KDH party is therefore demanding that the memorandum between Slovakia and the United Kingdom be effected as soon as possible.
Cases of Slovak parents losing their children grabbed the attention of the media and public 2 years ago, with emotions running high and two demonstrations organised outside the British Embassy in Bratislava. You can read about the cases in our sub-section UK Forced Adoptions, but due to a reporting ban from the UK, most of the comments (896) to the articles on TheDaily.SK had to be removed.
Nope. I respectively disagree. The judges issue this reporting ban only time to time. Especially the time when their reputation is at stake. In the last case it was clearly a mistake of the judges.
Mother eventually got their children after 3 years of battling back. Also thanks to the media’s support.
But the ban wasn’t lifted. It’s still there, hanging over the heads of all the reporters, who would like to write more details about this case, like an executionar’s sword.
This comment belongs under the last comment of the English dude Dave C
– right under Paragraph 2 Article 6.
Spider
Firstly – Read about how judges are appointed in the UK and compare to here, read about the appeals procedure and compare to here and read about what sanctions are taken against any judge who fails to maintain the accepted standards in both professional and private life and compare to here.
Secondly – All cases before the Families Division are covered by the same reporting restrictions – there is no application of them “time to time”.
Thirdly – Mother got the children back after 3 years battling – No, she didn’t!
Fact – Both parents voluntarily surrendered the children into care.
Fact – Neither parent appealed at any stage of the proceedings.
Fact- Mother did not bother attending the adoption hearing.
Fact – The GRANDMOTHER lodged an appeal which the Court accepted because it was the first time that it was aware of her existence.
Fact – The Court awarded custody of the children to the Grandmother – quite rightly.
Fact – The subsequent decisions of the SVK courts regarding these children are a matter for your society – the UK ruling still stands in UK territory.
And finally – the media! There was nothing preventing the media presenting the facts of the case so long as they respected the EUCCR, which by the way is binding upon the SVK, a fairly simple thing to do. However the SVK media decided to concentrate of the parents version of events and glossed over the published facts, probably because the viewing figures would have dropped. The litter louts outside the UK embassy may have not been so keen if they had been in possession of the fact rather than the tears and the hype. Also, if you or anyone else here seriously think that what passes for reporting in Slovakia had any influence on the decision of the Court then I suggest you all book a CAT scan. Don’t apply SVK norms and standards to other countries – that is what causes cases like this in the first place
Some overhaul of the UK system is clearly due, but social services are damned if the do and damned if they don’t.
This story aside. The sooner the supporters of this bunch off Judas disciples die off, the better Sk will be. At 5.2% we shouldn’t have to wait long…
Not a fan of the Slowvak Catholic version of Jesus Christ then Slim ?
Only “some” overhaul? Who would think that?
The social services are damned whatever they do? I disagree. The line is very thin. Just like some other jobs – doctors, policemen, judges – one mistake and people can die.
Mistakes do happen – after all we all are just humans.
KDH has 9%. The third strongest party.
Spider “The line is very thin” very true and after some appalling errors in the past by both the Child Protection Agencies and the Courts both now have a simple guideline – Do what is best for the child after considering all the facts.
As for the responsibility that goes with many professions, doctors, lawyers, nurses, police, judges, engineers, accountants, architects, etc., Yes, some make mistakes, but unlike hear they are not forgiven, any professional who fails to abide by the standards expected is “struck off”, “sacked” and banned from practising that profession – for life. That sword hanging over their heads tends to make them all very careful – how different here, a cut in pay, a slap on the wrist, a new job or the issue swept under the carpet.
According to a UK website run by Slovaks, British society does not understand Slovak customs and traditions and that is why so many kids from here are taken into care. Now lets us examine the figures first – 200 kids taken? over what period? how many were respite care?, how many returned to their families after short term care?, how many held in protective custody? Slovak customs and traditions? – Minister Richter, commenting on the 30 Slovak kids in care in an article printed in this paper last year said ” In the majority of these cases there would have been the same outcome in Slovakia” . A few details which seem to have eluded reporters here – 5 year old child found naked wondering the streets at 2am – illegal in the UK. 5 adults and 9 kids living in a two bedroom house – common here, illegal in the UK. Children and babies being left in the care of siblings while mum and dad are in the pub or “working” nights – OK here, illegal in the UK. Mum and Dad, both drug addicts with alcohol problems and involved in criminal activities while failing to care for their kids – I hope that is not the norm here and that “lucky” was a one off but illegal in the UK. Memorandum of Understanding – here’s one – understand that if you go to live in the UK, we the people expect all our visitors to respect and abide by our laws and our norms of behaviour or face the consequences with no allowances made for what you may or may not get away with here in Neverneverland.
Pray tell insect , why is it wrong ? Is it better to just hand these abused children to the Catholic Church porno & pervert officers, as the KDH would like ???
George
The disturbing number of investigations worldwide into the abuse of children by the RC clergy may fade into insignificance compared to an investigation about to start in the Republic of Ireland. The remains of “several hundred” children have been discovered in an unmarked, unregistered mass grave on the site of the former Bon Secours, RC “maternity home” in Tuam, County Galloway. The Eire government have, under public pressure, ordered all such institutions to be thoroughly searched and investigated. Pressure groups in Canada, USA and Australia are lobbying for investigations into similar facilities in those countries.
I think anyone who publicly supports the RC church should be keeping their heads down and not making demands or suggesting a country’s laws are absurd when evidence is coming to light that places like Bon Secures and the now infamous Magdalene Laundries, established and run by the RC church worldwide, were little more than slave sweatshops for young girls and clearing houses for the children of women who’s only crime was to become pregnant out of wedlock. Their children taken from them, without any court hearing, legal justification or representation, with no right of appeal, and “sold” for adoption by RC run missions abroad. It makes you wonder, what other dark horrors the RC church are hiding?
Not true. Those were regular graves.
And it says more about how the whole UK society was backwards in the 60’s and was judgemental towards single mothers.
It says nothing about the UK because the Rep of Ireland is not – and was not in the 60s – in the UK.
This, on the other hand…..
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/26/edwina-currie-shocked-jimmy-savile-role
James ..not sure what your point is here ….???
Are you looking at a mirror of your own crass history , ie , you play (sorry delete that ) work with children,no …….?
Whilst I have no time Savile and his abuse of handicapped and young children …..I am a bit lost in the feeding fest of the media into daft girls or women in their mid teens, then thrust themselves forward hoping to meet a star and perhaps, got what they dreamed and even wanted …..and then later perhaps decided they did not like it ….
Are not most men, with a normal libido, between the age of 14 and 35 … an opportunistic sexual predator ? Gosh the Papers are full of famous who is caught shagging who ….which is a tip of the actual iceberg !
We are talking of a different time phase ie 60`s , 70`s even early 80`s when most of these sexual touching and tongue inserting took place ….and different social rules applied, which today we have decided are no longer acceptable. Not sure demonising Savile, Clifford, Harris and Hall, who are either dead, or in their late 80`s is in the public interest or the public`s purse interest after all this time ?
Regular Graves – If so why has the Garda been ordered to conduct an investigation?
FYI – County Galloway is in the Republic of Ireland not the UK – clown!
Comments on a web site had to be deleted and all media silenced because of the UK law?
The UK is not as free country as it tries to look. It’s all backwards. I’m sure many Brits will protect this shamful law but it’s all wrong!!!!
Insect – FYI, not UK law. EU law observed and enforced by the UK. Get your limited facts correct before posting crap!
Appendix 6: Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Child Friendly Justice. Adopted by the EU 17th November 2010.
Para 2. Protection of private and family life, Article 6:
“The privacy and personal data of children who are or have been involved in judicial or non-judicial proceedings and other interventions should be protected in accordance with national law. This generally implies that no information or personal data may be made available or published, particularly in the media, which could reveal or indirectly enable the disclosure of the child’s identity, including image, detailed descriptions of the child or the child’s family, names or addresses, audio and video records, etc.”