BREAK THE CHAINS OF OPPRESION AND THE YOKE OF ...

The aim of this project is
– to make child poverty publicly a scandal in the sense of the UN Children’s
Rights;
– to make use of the resources and experiences of congregations, social welfare institutions,
church circles, offices and works of our regional Church in order to
develop concrete projects and carry them out locally;
– to thematize Child Poverty at all levels of church action in politics and society
in order to combat it structurally and prevent it;
– to start up a campaign against child poverty in our land and participate in this
campaign.
The project should be developed in connection with the main presentation
‘Shaping Globalization’.”
The challenges
Pov erty
For Politics
Child poverty is a scandal – and must in the end be combated structurally. It is a
matter of controversy which concrete political demands result from this. The
majority of fundamental recommendations can be summarized in one statement:
The situation of families with children must be improved. How this can
best be achieved is likewise controversial – whether by raising the child allowance,
by giving a basic security or something quite different. Many opponents
of such solutions are worried that the money would not reach the children
but would be used for other purposes by the parents. Consequently others demand
other solutions: � �More money � must flow �into the �system
of teaching, education
and child and youth aid. Only so can we ensure that the children are actually
reached. The political controversy, however, dare not further obstruct effective
help. Therefore the steering-committee appointed by the government of
the church has decided on another approach. A change in perspective means
starting with the children’s basic needs. Food, a home, clothing, health provisions
and education must be guaranteed in sufficient measure for all children.
We assume that all children have the right to
– a warm meal per day;
– a free place in day-nurseries or all-day schools;
– free school books and equipment;
– free access to computers and the internet in public teaching, education and
care;
– free participation in school trips;
– free access to public cultural and leisure activities.
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– AGAINST CHILD POVERTY –