© Aargauer Zeitung / MLZ; 23.05.2007; Page 19
Sandra's case: Pressure is mounting
Grand Council: The Greens want to protect the girl's rights
Now the case of Sandra, the dispute over a 13-year-old girl who is to be returned to her mother in Brazil following a difficult custody battle, has also become a political issue. The Green Party, in a statement to the Grand Council, has called for a suspension of the deportation proceedings and proposed mediation between the parties involved.
The Greens' main concern: The girl's wish to remain in Switzerland with her father should not be ignored. "What we condemn in the strongest terms is that the girl was apparently not allowed to express her wishes and no hearing took place," said Patricia Schreiber, co-chair of the Green Party parliamentary group. The 13-year-old has now been held in a detention center for two weeks, has hardly any contact with the outside world, and has no personal belongings with her, Schreiber explained: "She is being isolated and cut off like a criminal."
Against this backdrop, the Greens are adamant: As long as the deportation proceedings are ongoing, the girl should be placed in the care of a guardian to ensure her rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child are protected. (bbr.)