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Child welfare reforms debated

Moravian abuse case rallies politicians to call for coordination

By Kimberly Ashton
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 23rd, 2007 issue

Recent reports of the shocking abuse of a 7-year-old Moravian boy have spurred government officials to take another look at laws supposed to prevent such crimes.
Politicians are discussing changes to increase oversight of home-schooled children, protect the identities of abuse victims and increase cooperation among ministries concerning child-abuse issues.
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek met May 21 with the government’s children’s rights committee of the Human Rights Council to discuss how to amend laws designed to protect children. Eva Vaníčková, chairwoman, said the Moravian case prompted the meeting, although the panel did not specifically deal with it.
The case has garnered national attention and provoked outrage since it went public earlier this month.
On May 7, Klara Mauerová, 30, was arrested on charges of maltreating her son at their home in Kuřim.
Neighbors accidentally discovered the alleged abuse when they bought a video camera to monitor their baby. It picked up images from a video system of Mauerová’s and showed the boy naked and bound in a windowless room.
Mauerová, who was also the caretaker of a 13-year-girl whose identity is unknown, had told the government she was home-schooling the children.
On May 20, Education Minister Dana Kuchtová told Czech TV that home-schooling regulations need revision. Current regulations require home-schooled children to report to school every six months.
Kuchtová would like stricter requirements so that teachers and school directors have more oversight, according to Education Ministry spokeswoman Michaela Taschnerová. Kuchtová has not proposed specific regulations yet.
Topolánek, Vaníčková and Minister without Portfolio Džamila Stehlíková of the Green Party proposed greater cooperation among ministries to reduce child abuse.
About 40,000 cases of child abuse are reported in the country every year, according to Stehlíková.
She said the committee also discussed a proposal to shield the identity of child victims from the public. Vaníčková said her committee is not happy with how the case has been handled in the press.
Police are still searching for the 13-year-old girl, who ran away from the orphanage where she was taken after discovery of the alleged abuse.
— Hela Balínová contributed to this report.

Kimberly Ashton can be reached at kashton@praguepost.com


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