On 31 May, Diakonie Deutschland and more than 30 partner organisations organised an event called ”We want a society wherein every child has equal value” (‚Wir wollen eine Gesellschaft, der jedes Kind gleich viel wert ist‘) calling for more effective measures against poverty and social exclusion of children and young persons.
Experts from NGOs, churches and academia criticised the fact that parents with a higher income are currently receiving more financial support for childcare than those with lower income. Those relying on minimum income schemes (‚Hartz IV‘) barely receive any financial support for childcare, as it is deducted from other payments; furthermore, supplements on child benefits only reach few of the families who actually need them. The organisers of the initiative call for a uniform and independent level of benefits for all children and young persons, which truly enables them to participate in society on an equal basis. Families facing poverty should receive support for costs related to the education of their children.
The event was widely covered by the German media; its messages were picked up by politicians from different political parties. The next German elections will take place in the autumn of 2017; the national poverty network (NAK) is currently developing a policy paper which calls on political parties and candidates to implement effective measures against child poverty.
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Photo credit: Diakonie Deutschland