Karol Nawrocki has successfully blocked a parliamentary amendment which critics said would have put children in danger, especially from sex offenders.
The change to Poland’s Counteracting Sexual Crime Threats and Protecting Minors Act would have abolished the requirement for parents or guardians assisting educational institutions to prove they have no criminal record. This would have included those helping on school trips, according to Remix.
The measure was simply intended to simplify the verification process for people working with children. But Monika Horna-Cieślak, who is the national ombudsman for children, said this would have created a “real risk” of “individuals convicted of sexual offenses, murder, or human trafficking” having “contact with children … for example, during classes in kindergartens or schools where they will be guests.”
Poland’s DoRzeczy magazine reports that Horna-Cieślak raised her concerns at a parliamentary committee on children’s rights that was also attended by a man convicted of sexual assault against a minor. The panel was apparently not informed about the man’s criminal history.
In recent weeks, Nawrocki has also vetoed a bill extending the existing social benefits for Ukrainian citizens in Poland, saying the “political and social emotions have changed,” as well as the nation’s financial situation.
He has also blocked the easing of restrictions on the construction of onshore wind farms and extended the freeze on electricity prices until at least the end of this year.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
