[09.02.2010] Family organizations welcome the judgment of the German Federal Constitutional Court on Hartz IV (unemployment benefit) articles on the standard (support) rates for children, and suggest dialog for its reworking.
The family organizations united in the AGF welcome today’s judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court as an important corner stone in relation to children and their families. They offer to enter into a specific dialog on the policy in order to find a long-term and fair solution for children and their families. „The judgment is of great meaning, especially in the European year against Poverty and Social Exclusion in the fight against child poverty in Germany”, explained the chairperson of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der deutschen Familienorganisationen (AGF) e.V. (Association of the German Family Organizations), Edith Schwab. Now it is a matter of rationally implementing the judgment.
Together with the minister for family affairs and other experts, the implementation should be worked on, with the perspectives of children and families in the foreground, “because poor children are often not just simply poor”. They are often socially excluded, and also have bigger difficulties in taking educational possibilities seriously. A reevaluation of the standard rates for children, that takes into account the specific needs of adolescents can and must contribute to strengthening their chances for development and must give them a better tool for the creation of their future” , also according to Edith Schwab.
Hence, the AGF inspires not to go into ruin through actionism, but instead to take long-term substantial ways. „ Now where a signal has been raised by the Federal Constitutional Court, the results of the judgment and the given chances thereof must be discussed, on a public level, freely from ideological blinkers and with the help of the actual reality of the families “, commented the new managing director of the AGF, Sven Iversen, on the discussion.
The study group of the German family organizations has already made “child poverty” its main focus during the last two years and reinforces the issue with expert discussions and symposia at German and European level.
In the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der deutschen Familienorganisationen(AGF) e.V. (Association of the German Family Organizations), the German Family Federation (DFV), the Protestant Action Group for Family Questions (eaf), the Family Alliance of the Catholics (FDK), the Association of Single Parents (VAMV) and the Association of bi-national families and partnerships (iaf) are united. The purpose of the AGF is the support of dialog between the organisations and protection of the interests of the families and the persons responsible for family policy. In addition, the AGF supports the cooperation of active family-policy organizations on the national and international level.