Thousands took to the streets in the center of Hungary capital Budapest yesterday to insist on a reform in child protection measures, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The protest was led by Peter Magyar, a former government insider who recently founded a political movement challenging Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Crowds waved flags and chanted: "Enough!"
Magyar burst onto the Hungarian political scene in February, when Prime Minister Orbán's government was already reeling from a sexual abuse scandal at a children's home that led to the resignation of the country's president, Katalin Novak.
"Orbán's government does not guarantee the basic chance for proper development of children. /.../ They don't have any chance", said Magyar.
In the wake of the scandal, the ruling FIDES party introduced a bill in parliament on Tuesday that would provide for tougher penalties for child sexual abuse, including the impossibility of parole.
In February, Magyar accused the government of widespread corruption and of running a centralized propaganda machine. Since then, he has managed to mobilize dissatisfied voters, gathering them in mass protests.
Orbán aides have rejected Magyar's accusations, and the newly created Office for the Protection of Sovereignty has launched an investigation into suspected foreign financing of his campaign.
Human rights activists, as well as US and European senior officials, have criticized the Sovereign Protection Office and the law that created it.
This year's European and local elections could prove to be the most difficult of Orbán's 14-year rule, as Hungary's economy is in recession, the abuse scandal has dealt a heavy blow to his platform of upholding family values, and a newly emerged politician threatens to overturn the status quo.
But even under these circumstances, Orbán's FIDES remains the most popular party in Hungary.