International Homeschoolers in Trouble!

International Homeschoolers in Trouble!


We have created a powerful video testimonial to help you experience the lives of persecuted homeschoolers. Watch now >>

Dear Friend of Homeschooling,

Persecuted homeschoolers from countries all over the world need our help to achieve a freedom that many of us take for granted—the right to teach our children at home!

Will you help?

In countries like Germany, Sweden, Botswana and Brazil, parents are being threatened with huge fines, jail time, and the loss of their children. Many have fled to other countries to keep their families intact and continue homeschooling.

We have created a powerful video testimonial to help you experience their lives. Will you share a few minutes with our fellow homeschoolers from around the world to learn more about their plight?

Please pray for them. And please forward this testimony to your family and friends and link to the video on your Facebook wall or other social network—we need to get this important message to as many people as possible.

Will you also consider making a gift? We know that times are tough with the current economy. But if you are able, would you consider a tax deductible gift of any amount to the Home School Foundation’s International Fund? A donation of $25, $35, $50, even $500 or $1,000 would allow us to continue our work in advancing the cause of homeschooling worldwide.

When we help homeschoolers abroad, we are also helping defend our own freedom from the dangerous threat of international law and treaties like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Thank you for taking the time to watch these families’ stories in the midst of this busy holiday season. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and joyous New Year!

With my humble and heartfelt appreciation,

J. Michael Smith
President

Spain: Home schooling is not legal, rules Constitutional Court

Home schooling is not legal rules constitutional court in Spain

A trial case by two couples who homeschooled their children against the wishes of local social services has failed after the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that homeschooling is not a right under Spanish law, and that children must go through a formal educational system.

The Constitutional Tribunal (TC) has stated that the Constitution allows the legislature to set up a system of compulsory basic education and does not recognize the right of parents to educate their children in their own homes.

In a sentence that has just been published, the Constitutional Court dismissed the writ filed by two couples who homeschool their children, but who had been pressured by the local social services to send their children to school.

Under the Law on Legal Protection of Minors, the Prosecutor requested the Court to order the immediate enrollment of the children in their local schools. The parents argued that “the Constitution does not order the compulsory schooling in the State system” and stressed that their children received an education more appropriate than that given in “public or private classrooms of 30 or 40 students.” Their children spoke five languages, knew music and were taught math, science and language, and ethics education.

The parents claims were however rejected in all instances. The Court of Coin (Malaga) answered the prosecutor’s request and ordered the minors to school. The Judge argued that the Spanish Constitution “does not allow parents to deny children the right and obligation to participate in the formal education system.”

The court added that the exclusion from the formal system can generate in minors “serious problems in their future development” both in academia (in reference to the difficulties of access to university) and in the social and integration with other children their age.

That ruling was upheld by the Provincial Court of Malaga. The Constitutional Court has now rejected the claim for protection of their parents.

The ruling states that “the right of parents to choose for their children an education outside the compulsory education system for reasons of pedagogy does not fall within any recognized constitutional freedoms.”

It also indicates that the Constitution does not prohibit the legislature setting up a system of compulsory basic education “as a period of enrollment period” during which “excluded is the possibility” of teaching their children in their own home instead of proceeding to school.

However, it notes that the option of compulsory schooling is not required by the Constitution, but is a legislative choice that the Constitution does not prohibit, and therefore “it cannot rule out other legislative options to incorporate some flexibility into the education system and, in particular, basic education. ”

From:  http://thereader.es/en/spain-news-stories/5514-home-schooling-is-not-legal-rules-constitutional-court.html

URGENT ACTION: Johansson in Sweden

We have just received a comment from:  http://friendsofdomenic.blogspot.com/

“It’s NOT TOO LATE to send letters and postcards via regular post. The judge will not render a decision on the 20th. Instead, he just hears the case. Email now, send a letter by regular post NOW, too!

Thank you for caring about this innocent family!”

So please send letters/postcards and emails. We have just sent two letters from our home in Palmerston North, New Zealand as well as emails.

It costs $2.40 to send a letter to Sweden from New Zealand.

If you have not sent a letter and/or email then please do so TODAY.

For more information:  http://friendsofdomenic.blogspot.com/

or  https://hef.org.nz/2010/immediate-action-needed-for-christer-johansson-domenics-father/

Russia: Good News for Homeschoolers

Good News for Homeschoolers

In August 2010 we reported on a proposed education bill in Russia that would have eliminated the option to homeschool. Hundreds of Russian families immediately joined together, along with homeschoolers from all over the world, and successfully petitioned the Russian government to continue its recognition of homeschooling. A new inter-regional public organization, “For Family Rights,” led the efforts in Russia.

When the proposed legislation was first introduced, homeschoolers and family advocacy groups in Russia were alarmed at the absence of language to protect the rights of parents. Further, any mention of homeschooling, called “family education” in Russia, had disappeared in the new law.

The Russian government has now officially released the text of the proposed education law for online discussion. Thanks to the efforts of homeschool advocates, the bill is significantly altered from its original text. The published bill has been “improved based on different proposals,” stated the Russian Ministry of Education.

Pavel Parfentiev, chairman of For Family Rights, explains that the most important changes include:

Read the rest of this report here: http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Russia/201012150.asp

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED for Christer Johansson, Domenic’s father

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

Dear friends and supporters of Domenic Johansson,
As you might have heard and/or read, Domenic’s father, Christer Johansson, is in prison awaiting trial on the 20th December 2010. He was arrested after bringing Domenic home after a supervised meeting. These extremely rare meetings of 1 hour every 5 weeks and under close watch of authorities have been torture for this family, who have suffered unimaginable psychological stress and pressure. Imagine only being allowed to see your young child for this limited time over the last 18 months. They have not even been allowed to see Domenic on his birthday and holidays.

Christer has also been denied his right to choose his own legal representative twice.

We really want to bring this issue into focus and show our support for Christer in the upcoming trial on the 20th. Because travel ticket prices are high to the island of Gotland due to the impending holiday season, our initial thought of getting a group of supporters to go to Gotland in person and hold a peaceful demonstration outside the court, sadly had to be scrapped.

We have come up with another idea for which we need all the support for we can get.

We would like YOU, wherever you are in the world, to please print or copy the Swedish text FOUND BELOW and post this as a letter or postcard to the judge who will lead the trial on the 20th.

His name and address is:

Lagman Mikael Mellqvist
Gotlands tingsrätt
Box 1143
SE-621 22 Visby
SWEDEN

Or email the text to the courts with as many emails as you and your friends and family members can: gotlands.tingsratt@dom.se

If you can, send both the postcard/letter and email for greater impact.

We are hoping that if we bombard the Gotland courts and judge with letters and emails of support it will show them the strength of feeling regarding this case.

Time is of the essence, so please send this as soon as you possibly can.

Please sign your name and country if possible to lend more credibility to your letters/emails (or if you want to/need to stay anonymous that will be fine too). What’s important is that we get as many people to do this as possible.

SWEDISH TEXT:

Till Lagman Mikael Mellqvist

Jag är mycket oroad över hur svenska myndigheter och domstolar har behandlat Christer Johansson och över LVU- omhändertagandet av hans son Domenic Johansson.

När Christer måndagen den 22 november 2010 tog med sig Domenic gjorde han en överilad handling.

Han är en kärleksfull far som inte längre kunde stå emot sin längtan efter sonen Domenic, som han bara har fått träffa 1 timme var femte vecka och då alltid övervakad av någon myndighetsperson.

Christer är ingen brottsling, men han har levt under oerhörd psykisk press och stress sedan 1,5 år tillbaka när de sociala myndigheterna beslöt att på ytterst tveksamma grunder tvångsomhänderta hans barn.

Jag vädjar till Er att låta Christer Johansson slippa straff och att ni respekterar de mänskliga rättigheterna som stadgas i Europakonventionen.

Vänligen, ________________________________

BELOW IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY. Below is the Swedish text translated into English for you to know what you are sending. PLEASE SEND THE MESSAGE USING THE SWEDISH TEXT and NOT the English text below. The below text is simply for your information.

Swedish text translation in English:

To Judge Mikael Mellqvist

I am extremely worried about how the Swedish authorities and courts are treating Christer Johansson and the circumstances of the forceful abduction of his son Domenic by Gotland Social Services.

When Christer decided to bring his son home on Monday 22 November 2010 it was the action of a man who had been driven to desperation.

Christer is a loving father who could no longer bear to be apart from his only son Domenic. A son who he had only been able to see for 1 hour every five weeks and then always under close supervision by authorities.

Christer Johansson is not a criminal but he has had to endure huge psychological stress and pressure for the past one and a half years, ever since the Social Services took away his son on the weakest of pretexts.

I entreat you to please respect Christer Johansson’s Human Rights in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. Please ensure that justice is served and that Christer Johansson is released without further punishment.

Kindly,

________________________________________________


Thank you for your support.

Blessings to all and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

–Friends of Domenic Johansson