SNS Official says state owns minors, draws condemnation

Vladimir Djukanovic, lawyer and senior SNS official, told the pro-regime TV Happy that “a child is owned by the state until it comes of age”. The remark came during his comments on the fact that high schools have joined the protests led by university students.

Minors become adults under the law at age 18 in Serbia but the law allows them to make independent decisions and holds them accountable for some things from the age of 14.

The Society of Social Workers of Serbia NGO condemned his statement, saying that it has no basis in the law and runs counter to basic human rights principles and the best interests of children.

UNICEF told N1 that the Convention of the Rights of the Child allows minors to freely express their views on any issue that affects them and that they have the right to free expression, free association and peaceful gathering.