FAFCE has been committed for the past years to bring the voice of families at the institutional level in Europe, especially through continuous contributions to the public consultations, which are an integral part of the legislative process of the European Union.
The European Commission recently opened a feedback questionnaire regarding the EU strategy on the rights of the child (2021-2024), which will provide a framework for the EU to better protect children. The European Commission plans to adopt this strategy during the first quarter of 2021.
FAFCE contributed to the questionnaire and recalled the need to recognise the parents’ first responsibility to ensure the well-being of their children, and therefore the need for the EU to increase the dialogue with family and parents’ associations to include their concerns and expertise.
The contribution of FAFCE stressed that:
- Family-friendly policies have to become the center of response mechanisms as they are the most efficient way to protect children. They should include the recognition of the care work provided by families and promote work-life balance, access to affordable and quality childcare and education for children, decent housing, credit and transport for families.
- To prevent regrettable situations of left-behind children, the EU legislation needs to tackle the root causes of this phenomenon and remove all the obstacles for parents to stay with their children.
- The EU focus on children in the Next Generation EU recovery instrument and other EU funding plans (Child Guarantee, updated Youth Guarantee) should also be used to support families, since empowered families are the fastest and most efficient way to make sure children are protected from such risks.
- Children spend more time in front of screens due to online education and are therefore more exposed to digital threats and unsuitable content, such as sexual explicit content. It is crucial to raise awareness on the harmful impacts of pornography on the mental and moral development of children and to advocate for effective mechanisms to prevent children access to online pornography.
Follow-up FAFCE work on family-friendly policies here:
- FAFCE Board Resolution | Family is the heart of the post-pandemic recovery
- WEBINAR | “Will the EU recovery invest in the family?” (3 December 2020, 15.00 – 16.00)
- Families need a more effective support
- FAFCE’s President to EUCO Members: “Sustainable development only possible through demographic and family policies”
