In a letter responding to the European Commission’s concerns over Hungary’s recently adopted law on child protection, the Hungarian Ministry of Justice stated that the new legislation is about the protection and education of Hungarian children. As such, the ministry added, how Hungarian parents wish to educate their kids does not belong under the jurisdiction of the Brussels-based Commission, nor should it concern any other European institution.
“No one should be allowed to force Hungarian parents to accept that their children can receive sexual education without their explicit consent,” the Justice Ministry’s statement reads. The position of the Hungarian government is that children must be protected from content available in the media and on the internet that is not suitable for their age. Sexual education must only be carried out by professionals, upon the authorization of parents who have been made aware of the curriculum beforehand.
The Hungarian government believes that no one besides parents should have a say in the sex education of children. This is why, according to the Ministry of Justice, the law bans sexual – homosexual and heterosexual alike - propaganda targeted at children.
“This is in line with the EU Charter, and, as it does not apply to adults, it does not violate anyone’s right to freedom of sexual expression. Hungary is a free country where the state does not interfere with the private affairs of Hungarian people,” the statement concluded.