Seven-year-old boy Marco from the village of Brehy (Banska Bystrica region, central Slovakia) was dragged from a classroom in front of his classmates and teacher by a judicial officer last week. The incident captured on camera became an instantaneous scandal. Marco was removed from the classroom after a court ruled that his mother should take custody of her son from his grandmother who had been previously granted temporary custody of Marco by a district court.
The officer acted in line with a court decision that granted custody of the boy to his mother. However, Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská called the incident unacceptable. "The court's decision is one thing, the way in which it's carried out is another. It mustn't be done without empathy towards the child. I expect the court chairperson to take responsibility," wrote Žitňanská on her Facebook page, adding that this case is a sign that it's essential to educate court employees in how to act in such sensitive cases. "The Justice Ministry is prepared to do everything in its power," she added.
The parliamentary human rights committee is to discuss this issue at an extraordinary session. The committee is set to examine whether the boy's removal from school was lawful. The Opposition has also invited the Justice Minister and the Labour, Social Affairs and Family minister to explain the behaviour of the officers. Member of the human rights committee Natalia Blahová (Freedom and Solidarity party) said that the officers acted in a Gestapo-like manner. "Where was the right of a child to be heard? The authorities should ask children about their opinions, as they can often decide about their lives themselves," stated Blahová, adding that not only the law but also the rights of a child were violated. Blahová has also asked Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová to take a closer look at this case. The daily Denník N reported that the Prosecutor-General's (GP) Office has already launched an investigation into the matter.
