SW News: A Brazilian Christian mother is being penalized and threatened with custody loss of her son after she decided to homeschool him. When the public school where her child was studying closed down in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, Regiane Cichelero started teaching her 12-year-old boy at home.

When the school reopened in March the following year, she decided not to send him to school. Instead, she opted to teach him at home so that he gets quality education in line with the faith of the family. Cichelero believed that the public education system could harm the faith of her boy.

However, her choice raised the hackles of local prosecutors who posed legal challenges. The young mother’s cause was taken up by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The organization said that the mother was fined 300 USD for not enrolling her son in school and she also faces and extra per-day fine of 20 dollars and it could reach up to 1,200 dollars until re-enrolment. It also alleged that a judge threatened to take away her son if she still continued homeschooling.

ADF International’s legal counsel for Latin America Julio Pohl said, "The fact that Regiane Cichelero has not only been prosecuted and fined, but also threatened with the removal of her child for choosing to homeschool is reprehensible. Parents are the first authority for the education of their children, and this reaction from the local authorities is a complete violation of her rights as a parent guaranteed under international law."

On the other hand, Cichelero said in a statement, "I choose to homeschool my son because I believe this is what is best for him, and am committed to providing him with the best possible education. Moreover, homeschooling ensures that I can impart our faith and values, which are so important to our family, to him on a daily basis — values that are consistently challenged and undermined in Brazil's public school system."

As per international human rights law, parents have the right to choose their children’s education as per Article 26.3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.