"In Hungary, the number of cases of child pornography is increasing strongly. In 2017, we learned of 120 such cases, and in 2022, 261. From 120 to 261 in four or five years! A person in their right mind can not understand how something like this can happen in Hungary." These shocking words came from the mouth of Viktor Orbán in his speech before the political agenda this week, and not without precedent: in recent weeks, more and more stomach-churning domestic pedophile cases have come to light. The topic has been keeping Hungarian public opinion at a fever pitch for many days and the government also confirms this: Viktor Orbán announced in his year-end speech at the end of February: despite the headwinds from Brussels, the governing parties are preparing Europe's strictest child protection law.

"There is no excuse for pedophilia. The child is sacred and inviolable. The job of the adults is to protect the children at any cost,"

emphasized the prime minister. Afterwards, Orbán spoke on Kossuth radio: he expects a very clear answer from the Minister of the Interior, Sándor Pintér, about the whereabouts of the state people whose job is to take care of our children and added: he expects the authorities to reveal all such cases. "These are very embarrassing, very painful cases but if we sweep them under the carpet, their number will increase (...) and here the state has an obligation."- the Prime Minister pointed out.

Skeletons in the closet

The “closet with pedophile skeletons” was uncovered by an employee of a school of the capital city at the beginning of February. The co-worker of the bilingual elementary school (who has since been fired) bragged on TikTok that he had a fifteen-year-old boy as his lover, and he also said that for him it was only a moral issue that fit into his values. The 39-year-old teaching assistant then started making legal threats: anyone who doesn't like what he's doing will report him for defamation, and he also proudly listed the organizations that support him: TASZ, the Helsinki Committee, Amnesty International or the Democratic Union of Teachers - which, after the scandal broke out, distanced themselves from the man, who in the meantime turned out to be an LGBTQ activist, a regular participant in various homosexual movements, and even wrote in closed groups that he had "embraced" the institution's trans, non-binary, bisexual students who were "awakening to self-awareness", with whom he talks regularly, "because they can't/don't dare to turn to other adults, including their parents."

As the days passed, various video clips with stomach-churning statements from the man, who was then reported on suspicion of sexual abuse and endangering a minor, were also made public, and an investigation was launched against him on suspicion of child pornography.

This was by no means the only case of this kind that shook the domestic public at the beginning of the year. Not long after the capital case, it was revealed that a history teacher at an elementary school in Békés county may have been abused a 13-year-old girl student and to add to the horrors, it is suspected that the child's own foster father offered the child to the teacher for money. According to information from the Pesti Srácok, the girl's guardian was known to have an identity disorder and extreme sexual aberrations, he had a frequent habit, for example, of walking around the village in women's clothes, and it was suspected that he himself might have abused the child- so far without consequences. Police have since arrested both men.

The series of publicized crimes does not end there: on the last day of February, the police arrested the former LMP politician, against whom an arrest warrant was issued on suspicion of pedophilia. The 67-year-old former municipal representative- who has not been a member of the opposition party since December 2017- is suspected of inveigling a 13-year-old boy from home and then forcing him to have sex. It was also recently revealed that a man from Sepsiszentgyörgy, who previously worked as a teacher, sang at the Mi Hazánk Movement's annual review, who was arrested in Romania on suspicion of sexual crimes against under aged children. (At the time of the political party event, he was already under criminal proceedings.) The case is also very embarrassing for Mi Hazánk, because they call for particularly tough action against pedophiles. President László Toroczkai later wrote on Twitter that the musician hid his past from them and that castration would be the least he could do. And although it is not a recent– but acute– it is also important matter to note that abuses are also coming to light within the Catholic Church: András Hodász, who has given up his priestly profession, wrote in a shocking open letter that he too was abused by a young, popular priest- when he himself was a teenager- who (the priest) gathered many young people around him. The sexual harassment lasted for months, which ended "being kicked in the door by the police" to the perpetrator, he wrote in Szemlélek, and the portal's editor spoke about how after Hodász's report, people who were also harassed by members of the church came to him one after another.

The law has to be changed

As we mentioned, the Budapest police assistant initially defended himself by saying that in his case it was a moral, not a legal issue, since he can legally have sex with a 15-year-old if he agrees. And here it is necessary to record the fact that it was precisely the government parties currently working on the severiting that legalized the fact that children can have sexual relations even at the age of 12. Child rights expert Szilvia Gyurkó spoke to Népszava about the fact that- citing the fact that puberty is being pushed earlier and earlier, more and more children are having sex from the age of 12- the Penal Code was amended in 2012, which then legalized it if a 12-year-old child has a consensual sexual relationship with another young person not older than 18 years. "This regulation has been criticized by professionals ever since."- Szilvia Gyurkó told the newspaper.

Anyone over the age of 14 can have sex with anyone, as long as there is no violence, abuse, coercion or abuse of position or power in the relationship.

This was also confirmed by the TASZ to vasarnap.hu, when they stated in relation to the specific case: "In general, we can establish that it is not a crime to establish a sexual relationship based on mutual consent with a 15-year-old, regardless of gender or sexual orientation". That is why it would be extremely important to redefine the child protection rules, and the minister who leads the Prime Minister’s office, Gergely Gulyás, also spoke about this in the last Government Info, who stated with noble simplicity: whoever does this to a 14-15-year-old is clearly a pedophile and must be treated accordingly. According to the head of the department, when you see a pedagogical assistant using his/her position and the students' trust, it is intolerable and unacceptable, and the fact that he/she brags about it on social media is "extremely sick and stomach-churning", an overview of legal and criminal law regulations and the tightening of child protection rules is the responsibility of the government and pro-government factions.

They expect a huge debate

In connection with Europe's strictest child protection law (in preparation), the trouble is almost guaranteed- both in Hungary and abroad. According to Máté Kocsis, the leader of the Fidesz faction, the proposal in this regard may be presented to the Parliament in the autumn session and indicated: it is a large and complicated legal work, and the proposal will affect many areas. According to the politician, rough European and domestic debates can be expected in the case, because the issue is a matter of priority for the European elite, the Brussels elite as well.

"Even after our previous proposal to suppress gender propaganda, we received serious attacks, and this will happen again"

- he said. Regarding the specific case, he said: it is a relationship between an under aged child and an adult, which it looks like Hungarian law can not regulate properly yet, so work needs to be done about this.

The heated debate can be waited more, because the European Commission sued Hungary at the end of last year because of the Child Protection Act. (Belgium and Luxembourg joined the lawsuit this year.) The committee objects to the legislation ensuring stricter action against pedophile offenders, as well as the prohibitions and restrictions contained in some amendments to the law, in order to protect children from differing from gender self-identity corresponding to their birth sex, to change their gender, and relate to the popularization and/or display of homosexuality. According to Viktor Orbán, however, the opinion of the Hungarians is clear: "On 3rd April last year, there was a child protection referendum, where 3,700,000 Hungarians unanimously said no to gender propaganda, even from Brussels. Even if the whole world goes crazy, even if Brussels excuses the inexcusable, let Hungary remain normal, an island in Europe where families can safely send their children to school."- he said and asked all factions of the parliament to cooperate with the children. in their protection.

(Translated by Anett Harmath)