Slovak Minister Plans to Cut Child Benefits Over Truancy and Misconduct, Drawing Rights Concerns

Slovakia's Minister of Labour Erik Tomáš is proposing a package of legislative changes that would reduce child welfare payments for families whose children skip school or commit minor offenses, with the measures set to take effect in January 2027. Under the proposals, child allowances and substitute maintenance payments — state funds provided to children when a parent fails to pay court-ordered support — could be cut as a penalty for truancy and petty infractions. The Commissioner for Children, Jozef Mikloško, has backed the changes, framing them as tools to protect children and encourage school attendance. However, human rights organizations and social policy experts have sharply criticized the plan. Amnesty International Slovakia says the proposals fundamentally contradict a rights-based approach to social security, warning that withdrawing financial support from vulnerable families will deepen child poverty rather than address its root causes. Non-governmental organizations argue the measures ignore the complex social realities faced by marginalized communities, where truancy is often a symptom of poverty, not its cause. Tomáš is a member of Hlas-SD, a center-left party that is part of Slovakia's ruling coalition under Prime Minister Robert Fico.