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12. 11. 09. - 16:00

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12. 11. 09. - 16:00

Children's rights to be made constitutional

By David Rogers

Children’s rights are to made part of the constitution after an agreement between government parties.

The proposed constitutional amendment will allow any adult and not just constituted authorities to lodge a complaint about violations of children’s rights at the Constitutional Court.

The amendment will also give every child the right to equal contact with both of its parents.

People’s Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic (SPÖ) politicians praised the new legislation yesterday (Weds).

People’s Party State Secretary Christine Marek said she was "proud" that the parties had agreed on the move on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Social Democratic (SPÖ) spokeswoman for children and youth Angela Lueger and SPÖ spokesman for the constitution Peter Wittmann agreed the amendment would clearly show "how important protection of children was to Austrian society."

Lueger said: "It is important that a ban on child labour and on the sexual and economic exploitation of children be anchored in the constitution."

Parliament’s constitutional committee is expected to approve the amendment on 18 or 19 November and Parliament is expected to vote on it in plenary session on 10 or 11 December.

Austrian Times

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