“There are now monsters out there” – standing up for the victims, for the children, for a healthy society, a demonstration organized by civilians was held in Budapest, Heroes’ square, on early Friday evening.
The demonstration was organized by online content producers: Judit Bányai (Nemakarokbeleszólni, Jólvanezígy, Focus Group), Attila Baukó Azahriah, Eszter Fancsikai (Nemakarokbeleszólni), Márton Gulyás, Ádám Nagy (Jólvanezígy, Focus Group), Zsolt Osváth (Zshowtime), Edina Pottyondy, Márton Szabó (Jólvanezígy ) and Tapastó Orsi (Nemakarokbeleszólni). According to their call, they announced a demonstration because they consider it important to raise our voices for the protection of victims, transparency, human decency and honest social dialogue. At the beginning of the event, Márton Gulyás, the host of the “social stand”, thanked those present for standing up for the victims and for the necessary reform of child protection.
A responsible government protects children not only on billboards
Covering books, punishing bookshops, preventing the adoption of gays is not child protection, said Zsolt Osváth, who asked the government to review child protection laws. Márton Szabó “Csoki” asked three questions: what will the government do to ensure that the children in state care grow up in decent conditions; what will the government do to ensure that they receive quality and life-preparing education; and what will the government do to ensure that they have somewhere to trust if they are abused? These issues must be kept on the agenda and representatives must be “inundated” with them, he said.
In Attila Azahriah Baukó’s video message, he talked about how the government uses parents’ concerns to incite and incite against something, which is then converted into political profit. “The complete downsizing of education and allowing sick and unscrupulous people suffering from pedophilia near children is what is not offensive to the government, if there is a political interest behind it,” he said.
Zsolt Osváth, who also grew up in an orphanage, said: he wants to draw attention to systemic problems, “problems for which the clemency case is only the tip of the iceberg”. The institute will never be able to replace the family, but the state must do everything to “at least not make the lack of the family gnawing”, he declared. He emphasized: he did not come to overthrow the government and call on ministers to resign. It doesn’t matter who makes the decisions, but now those for whom the decisions have to be made are much more important.
“We will not remain silent” – emphasized Zsolt Osváth, and then he spoke about how it was revealed that the director of an institute mentally crippled the children entrusted to him for life, thanks to the skillful uncovering work. Then “another monster” tried to get the victim children to say that they were lying. And the story continued that “the gracious women of the state and the bishop” said about the latter man, “Uncle Endre, you are not a pedophile”, you only held the door, that’s different, we forgive you. According to the singer, “it’s a completely new level to play pedophile faces, but the best thing is that this is not an unknown story”. He emphasized that the safety of children must be strengthened. “We need to wake up now,” he said, “we need change through cooperation.” Digital content producer Tapastó Orsi spoke as an adoptive parent. She pointed out that seven thousand children live in children’s homes in Hungary, and most of them will never find a family. She thanked the educators working in the homes, who teach children to love and give them back the ability to trust.
She asked the decision-makers to ensure that every child can live safely and that every orphanage is an “impeccable place”. She also drew attention to the fact that there are few specialists in child protection and that two thousand additional foster parents would be needed.
Eszter Fancsikai stated that she agrees with the Prime Minister: child abusers “must be torn to shreds”. She added that if she does this as a mother, it is self-judgment, which is why real child protection and a well-functioning legal system are needed. Edina Pottyondy, a former member of the Momentum board, complained that there was no independent investigation into the pardon decision and called the resigned president’s HUF 4.5 million monthly allowance the “wage of silence”.
In her opinion, real child protection would mean strengthening the education, social and health sectors, as well as child protection authorities. She considers it necessary to create a strict law that protects the victims. This demonstration will not change the world, but it can change people’s thinking and mentality, she believes.
At the end of the event, Márton Gulyás said that at the initiative of the Utcazár Lakás Association, a fund is being created for a previously abused young person who is now homeless; they want to collect twenty-five million forints, the collection has started among the participants of the demonstration. After the end of the demonstration, hundreds of participants marched from Heroes’ square to Lendvay street to the Fidesz headquarters.
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Photo: MTI – Szilárd Koszticsák
