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	Spanish teenagers who shirk from doing the dishes or mowing the lawn may think twice about avoiding irksome chores after a draft law says they will be legally obliged to help with family domestic duties.</p>
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	No penalties, legal or otherwise, will be established for those under-18s who fail to follow the new legislation. But the new Child Protection Bill nonetheless states that children will have a joint responsibility to help at home and maintain the upkeep of the family residence &quot;in accordance with their age and regardless of their gender&quot;.</p>
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	Perhaps in a nod towards parents fed up with teenagers shutting themselves in their bedrooms for hours, it also insists that youths participate actively in their family&#39;s life, &quot;showing respect for their parents and siblings&quot; and &quot;any other relatives or people with a stable relationship with the core family unit&quot;.</p>
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	The number of local canines discovered to have mysteriously consumed lazy scholars&#39; homework may well plummet in Spanish education, with the draft laws stating that pupils should respect their teachers, study as required and follow school rules.</p>
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	The law also states that Spain&#39;s youth should take a responsible attitude towards public property and the environment.</p>
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	In a country with a tradition of closely knit family units, reactions to the draft law appear to be mixed, with a poll on the Huffington Post website drawing almost equal votes &ndash; roughly 45pc each &ndash; in favour and against.</p>
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	&quot;I think it&#39;s a good idea for kids to be aware of their responsibilities as well as their rights, but this law maybe is a bit too heavy-handed in the opposite direction,&quot; Roberta Megias, a working mother with two young children said.</p>
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	&quot;It&#39;s something that families should handle and children should know about without having to be told to do it.&quot;</p>
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	In addition, the new law also brings in sweeping improvements of the rights and protection of minors, so that they are now covered by the law against domestic violence.</p>
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	The law also ensures that all job applicants wanting to work with children have to provide a copy of their criminal record, and establishes a list of convicted paedophiles to ensure they are barred from working with children. Adopted minors will have a right to know the identities of their biological parents.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/no-more-excuses-bill-may-force-spanish-kids-to-do-chores-30230084.html">http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/no-more-excuses-bill-may-force-spanish-kids-to-do-chores-30230084.html</a></p>
