Masks, vaccinations, financial aid – the corona pandemic has cost the state a lot of money so far. On the occasion of World Children’s Day, the Protestant social association Diakonie warned that possible savings to reorganize the household should not be at the expense of the children.
Instead, everything must be done to “support children, secure them equal educational and development opportunities and close the gap between rich and poor,” said Diakonie director Maria Loheide. In addition, she considers the introduction of basic child benefits to be necessary.
Minister (SPD) wants to anchor children’s rights in the Basic Law
Federal Family Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) once again demanded that after the federal election Children’s rights would have to be quickly anchored in the Basic Law. So far, however, this plan had failed because the parties could not agree on the extent to which parents’ rights would be affected.
“Children’s rights now!”
The German Children’s Fund celebrates the World Children’s Day in Germany on September 20, 2021 digitally with a lot of information to explain to children what rights they have. But also other organizations like Unicef use this day to point out the concerns and needs of the little ones. Since 2019, World Children’s Day has even been a public holiday in Thuringia.
Refugee children particularly hard hit
Many children outside of Germany and Europe, on the other hand, do not even have the bare essentials. On this day, UN refugee aid draws attention to the plight of refugee children. They often have to live under catastrophic conditions and have neither rights nor prospects.
“Many children are often on the run for years … and returning to their home country (is) unthinkable,” says Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer, Managing Director of UN Refugee Aid, the national partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
According to the latest UNHCR education report, almost two-thirds of children finish school after primary school, and only 34 percent of them go to secondary school. Further education not only helps to improve job prospects, but also prevents young refugees from being forced into child labor.
Of a total of more than 82 million people on the run, 42 percent are children.
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