BHC: Lukashenka's decision to create work camps is illegal

Commenting the statement of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Tatsyana Hatsura stated: “Creation of work camps for parents who have neglected their children is contrary to the international law and practice”.

As we have informed, the Belarusian ruler stated that it is necessary to establish in every region a work camp for negligent parents who do not want to compensate the state expenses for raising children. “When they would be placed in such conditions, they would think thousand times whether to live as they lived previously or to work there. When you haven’t fulfilled the norm, received two reprimands, you are placed to a labour camp after the third one, with severe conditions. Then they would be trembling, they would have fear, they would rather work forcibly, fulfill three norms a day rather than go to such a camp. If that would have been done, I am sure that we wouldn’t have to discuss this problem like this. The situation would have changed over a year!” A. Lukashenka said.

T. Hatsyra noted that the state does a lot for effective protection of children in Belarus. “However, creation of work camps for parents who have neglected their children is a different thing. In the International Labour Organization’s Labour Convention ratified by Belarus nothing is said about that. The international law allows compulsory labour only in a case of martial law, and other emergencies,” she said.

T. Hatsura said that work camps in Belarus could be created for economical reasons. “The state demonstrates by this that it does not have money for children abandoned by parents,” She underlined.

The human rights activist believes that the state “should pay more attention not to covering charges for children maintenance, but for prevention of such situations”.