DUSHANBE, June 6, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The board (Shuro) of Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament discussed a draft law on holding parents responsible for their children’s action and education at a June 6 meeting, presided over by the Majlisi Namoyandagon deputy speaker, Ms. Nazira Ghafforova.

Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, said the board also considered amendments proposed to a number of applicable laws.

These issues will be considered at the next sitting of the second session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the fourth convocation, Sultonov said.

We will recall that the bill on parental responsibilities in the upbringing of their children was worked out last year on president’s initiative.  After detailed discussion at an October 29 government session the bill was returned as requiring improvement.  The government considered the bill repeatedly at a December 14, 2010 meeting.  Addressing the meeting, President Rahmon offered to submit the bill for a nationwide discussion.

More than 8,000 proposals have reportedly been offered over three and half months of the nationwide discussion and a special working group has held 15 meetings over the report period.  Jumakhon Davlatov, State Advisor to the President for Legal Issues, says the group has thoroughly studied all the proposals received and many of them have been included in the final edition of the law.

In the meantime, many believers in the country are critical of the parental responsibility bill that would ban children under 18 from worshipping in mosques, churches and other houses of worship.

Some local experts say the main target of the parental responsibility law is the Muslim children that the government wants to ban from going to mosques in an attempt to prevent them from becoming radical Muslims.