Kochanova: Belarus pays special attention to traditional family values

Belarus pays special attention to traditional family values – as noted by Natalya Kochanova, the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, on the eve of Mother's Day

“When the Constitutional Commission was working, there were a lot of proposals that dealt with this topic [of family values],” Ms. Kochanova said. “We considered it right to organise hotlines for all members of the Council of the Republic to be able to listen to citizens, their questions and suggestions on this issue. Perhaps there are some points that need to be legislated somewhere. During two hours [of the work of the hotline focusing on family values], I realised that many citizens are concerned about such issues as patriotic education of our younger generation. Many people called with suggestions for organising excursions to iconic places in our country. There were proposals that related to the regulation of the information sphere. Parents are concerned that children may see propaganda of non-traditional values on the Internet. As legislators, we should definitely think about this, since people say: ‘Natalia Ivanovna, if we need to collect signatures in support, we will do this. We are worried about the fate of our children. There is no such thing in Belarus, but we see how much the information space is saturated with negative approaches’.”