Another "neglected" child?
Photo: Tzafrir Aviyov
Jailed kids may lose parents
Official in state prosecutor’s office recommends declaring minors arrested during anti-disengagement protests and left in prison as “neglected” in order to remove them from their parents’ guardianship
Parents who support their children’s disturbing the peace or blocking roads during
anti-disengagement protests, or parents who do not help free their children if they are arrested during such activities might lose custody of them.
Or so a plan emanating from the state prosecutor’s office would have it.
A source in the office said Tuesday that it was considering a plan to have social workers go to the courts and have the jailed children declared “neglected minors.”
According to the 1960 Youth Law (Treatment and Supervision), a social worker can go to the courts and have a child abandoned by his parents defined as a “neglected minor.”
This can occur also when a youth is involved in criminal activities and his parents are not helping him out or even encouraging his law breaking.
Prison kids
In the course of anti-disengagement demonstrations that took place during the last two weeks, dozens of rioters were arrested. Fourteen of them are still in prison; seven of them are minors, including five girls who, until two days ago, refused to identify themselves to the Prisons Service.
The girls remain in prison because they refuse to agree to the conditions of their release.
According to the source at the prosecutor’s office, 715 people were arrested in 2005 for disturbing the peace – among them 348 minors. 91minors were indicted for their crimes.
The state prosecutor’s office is also seriously considering lawsuits against those who blocked roads.
Such a lawsuit was already lodged against Haim Paniri, who falsely reported a kidnapping in order to tie up police and security personnel.
In the meantime, the prosecutor’s office has been advising not to take down anti-disengagement banners and preventing the movement of people or buses carrying such political paraphernalia.
