Family organizations call for special attention for refugee families

[22.10.2015] The German Family Organisations call for special support for refugees families and for a special attention of their particular needs regarding accommodation, care and life after their flight. This message was sent by the family organisations from their members assembly. AGF calls for recognizing refugee children and families as such. The unity of families, the safety of children and the private sphere of families have to be granted: Therefore needed would be a basic recognition of families needs in the refugee politics.

“Providing and accommodation of refugees also is a matter of family politics. Every third refugee in Germany is a child. For them family is particularly decicive for their growing-up”, says Christel Riemann-Hanewinckel, chairwoman of AGF, “at the family often is the only trusted surrounding that stays after their flight.”

AGF calls on politics, public administration and on every institition being involved in recognizing and welcoming refugees on national, federal and local level to take into account the special circumstances and family ties of refugees, particullarly when children are concerned. In particular, the family organisations ask for:

  • to recognize families with children imediatly.
  • not to accomodate families in collective centers, but to secure a fast accomodation in flats.
  • to secure a pedagogical care for children immediatley after their arrival: Children have to have the possibility to live child suitable, which includes child care, school visit, support of their parents and their language acquisition.
  • to support and strenghten the family ties . This includes a fast possibility for family reunification and that refugees, who already have relatives in Germany,  are accomondated close to them.
  • unaccompanied minor refugees have to be given expert advice and help and the youth welfare offices have to be enabled to do so.
  • The youth and children welfare system has to be involved systematically and timely, in order to give the needed help.
  • Families, who accomondate refugees have to be supported accordingly.

AGF praises the persons who mostly engage on a voluntary base within the framework of local family organisations or other institutions, organisations or networks. They and their work would be an essential part in supporting refugees. Despite this, in General, the responsibilty for the welcome, recognition and care for the refugees would be on politics on natinal, federal and local level. The current situation on refugees has made it obvious that the cooperation of political levels and the local procedures have to be optimized in many places. This also includes to ensure the safety of particular exposed groups, like children, women and families and to give special support to these groups. The expension of defensive, deterring measures, like cuts in benefits or reducing them to non-cash-benifits are refused by the family organisations. They would be ineffective and would only foster negative attidutes against refugiees.

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