Chopped-off fingers win children’s drawings contest
Published 29 May, 2009, 16:36
A scandal has arisen around a children’s drawing competition organized by the police of the Lithuanian city of Neringa. An image of chopped-off fingers was recognized as one of the best on show.
As Delfi.lt reports, the competition among school children, organized under the slogan “We create a safe environment!” urged to bring up an active civic stand in children and to introduce them to law.
The painting by a local schoolgirl pictures depicted chopped off fingers beaded on a string. The picture is supplied with the inscription: “Do not wear stolen jewelry, or others will decorate themselves with your fingers!”
Investigation officer Rimos Akmenytes, commenting on the competition results, said that this work is among the best due to the originality of the idea.
“I think the girl created it under the influence of history lessons telling about the measures of punishment applied in the Middle Ages,” Akmenytes assumed. However, she added that the police do not support such severe measures as cutting off thieves’ fingers.
The girl’s drawing teacher Vilius Didzpetris supported his student’s work, having explained that the girl had once suffered from thieves herself. “I can assure that pupils precisely are not going to cut off fingers. However, such jarring images will achieve such a response.”
Psychologist Aleksandras Slatvickis also believes that the girl shouldn’t be condemned for her art work. However in his opinion the organizers should not have included the picture as the best works.
“That time when trifling was punished by chopping off person’s hands, is already in the past. We live in a constitutional state. Therefore, lawful methods should be applied to fight crime.”
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