Amendment No. 20 | Doc. 13441 | 09 April 2014

The protection of minors against excesses of sects

Signatories: Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Ana GUŢU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Mr Cezar Florin PREDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Johann WADEPHUL, Germany, EPP/CD

Origin - 2014 - Second part-session

In the draft resolution, paragraph 7, replace the word "sects" with the following words:

"religious, spiritual or esoteric movements"

and at the end of the paragraph, insert the following words:

"and ensure that these study groups maintain a high standard of respect of the non-discrimination and freedom of religion or belief principles."

Explanatory note

Tasking national parliaments with studying "the phenomenon of sects" would be discriminatory, as it would address only minority groups, opening the door to discrimination between traditional and non-traditional religions, while traditional religions might also be subject to excesses on minors.