YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
The Commission for the Promotion of Children’s Interests (“KiKo”) exists since 1988. It is a subcommittee of the Committee for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and thus smaller than the Committee itself. Its specific function is to represent children’s and young people’s interests. All ordinary members of the Children’s Commission also belong to the before mentioned Federal Committee. Hence the interests of children are also represented in the Committee. In this way the members of the Children’s Commission have direct access to the parliamentary field of action which is usually only available to the federal committees.
The following is an interview with the members of the Children's Commission and the international magazine Playground @ Landscape.
Who deals with child-related issues in the German Bundestag? And what is your main function as an ombudsperson for children’s interests?
Beate Walter-Rosenheimer: At present I am the Chairwoman of the Commission for the Promotion of Children’s Interests which is responsible for representing the interests and rights of children in the German Bundestag. The Commission was constituted according to a resolution adopted by the Council of Elders of the German Parliament in 1988. Since then the interests of children have been represented at a parliamentary level throughout all legislative periods.
Each parliamentary group sends one deputy to represent their political group in the Children’s Commission. Generally these deputies are also members of the Family Committee. That is why the interests of children are also represented in the Commission for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth which makes it easier to have an active influence on decision-making processes of the German Bundestag. The Children's Commission (KiKo) is subject to other rules than the Parliamentary Committees. For example, KiKo can only act as long as all members have given their unanimous approval. In the absence of agreement, the members must try to advance their issues by themselves.
The Children's Commission works closely with other children's and youth organisations. I am not the ombudsperson for children of my political group, but the spokesperson for youth policy and educational issues.
P@L: On 25 Januar 2016 a hearing on the topic of "children's rights" took place at the Children's and Youth Committee of the German Bundestag. On the one hand the participating experts praised the good conditions for children who grow up in Germany whereas at the same time they saw that much more further action is needed. What does that mean in concrete terms?
Eckhard Pols: First of all I would like to make clear, that no such federal children's and youth committee exists. However, the hearing took place during a meeting of the Children's Commission. Children have their own rights. They are legal persons and no objects. Whenever children are involved, it is their interests which have to be considered as a matter of priority. Regarding the realisation of their rights, children depend on other people's support. In everyday life, not only the adults the children grow up with have a supportive function but also the public and civil-society institutions which are responsible for the creation, evaluation and further development of the framework conditions which provide the basis for the successful implementation of children's rights. One example is the monitoring body of the German Institute for Human Rights which monitors and documents the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in Germany as well as the National Coalition in Germany - the networking body which is focused on the implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. Representatives of the National Coalition from civil society regularly review the current status. The conditions for children and youngsters who grow up in Germany have improved within the past 25 years. However, further efforts are still needed to protect children’s rights more effectively, to strengthen their health, improve educational opportunities, tackle child poverty and to achieve a stronger and transparent participation of the children themselves. If we know the wishes and needs of children and youngsters, the decisions which directly concern them can be influenced considerably. Thus it is important, that both children and their parents are well-informed about children’s rights and how to protect and claim them.
The Children’s Commission of the German Bundestag will continue to pursue this objective. An official plan on how to implement children’s rights which includes the protection of each child and not only of those children belonging to certain social groups is our main concern. Hence, the Children’s Commission welcomes and promotes the inclusion of ombudspersons at all federal levels. In order to promote the UN CRC (United Nation Convention on the Rights of a Child) among both children and youngsters, families and institutions, the Children's Commission demands a national publicity campaign. It is important to prevent any further reduction of financial and structural resources of child and youth welfare services. Thus, KiKo calls upon the Federal and Länder governments to secure the availability of a child and youth welfare body based on children’s real needs. We as the KiKo therefore call to include children and youngsters in an appropriate way to their age into the decision-making processes that directly concern them.
P@L: Although in Germany everybody has heard about the rights of children most of our citizens have no knowledge about the meaning behind this topic. The present report of the German child aid organisation (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk) reveals that 73 per cent of all German adults only know very little about children’s rights. Where does this come from?
Ulrike Bahr: In order promote the UN CRC both among children and youngsters, families and institutions, the Child Commission demands a national publicity campaign. Besides, the Children’s Commission of the German Bundestag shall ensure the legal establishment of children's rights in the German Basic Law. In addition to that it is necessary to draft an official plan on how to implement the rights of children by taking into account the protection of each child and not only of those children belonging to certain social groups. The Children's Commission welcomes and promotes the inclusion of ombudspersons at all federal levels. We as the KiKo therefore call to include children and youngsters in an appropriate way to their age into the decision-making processes that directly concern them.
P@L: Why is the legalising process, the establishment of children's rights in the German Basic Law so important to you? Or in other words: What would change if the rights of children would be legally consolidated?
Norbert Müller: The Children’s Commission of the German Bundestag wants to ensure the legal consolidation of the rights of children in the German Basic Law. As a matter of fact, the German government has undertaken to promote the rights of children with the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. However, since then, two formal requests have been made because the legal process has not yet been implemented. But this is just the formal process. In terms of implementation, the promotion of children’s rights means that above all the interests of our youngest citizens would finally been given the attention they deserve. Currently the individual rights of human beings are protected, but the fact that children as a social group have a special need for protection and care is still neglected. The German Basic Law takes into account that parents have the right to educate their children, but the child itself and the rights of children are treated more as an object. This is not consistent with our image of children and their self-determination.
In conclusion, therefore I hope that the legal position of children is being strengthened and that children are allowed to actively take part in all areas they are directly concerned,- which are quite a few.
P@L: Together with its associated child and youth medicine member societies, the German academy of child and youth medicine (Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, e.V. (DAKJ)) is launching a petition for an ombudsperson for children to be appointed by the German Bundestag. Do you support this petition? And in what way would an ombudsperson change the political work?
Beate Walter Rosenheimer: We, as members of the Children's Commission, welcome the objectives of the petition as much as the issue of the petitioners to strengthen the rights of children and adolescents. It is a good thing that this important topic has won public support through this initiative. Children have the right to be supported in their development and to be protected regarding their well-being. Nevertheless, the interests of children and adolescents are still structurally handicapped. This is particularly apparent in social concerns, such as child poverty or unequal access to education and health.
Nevertheless, to achieve sustainable results, the ombudsperson must be provided with solid legal competencies and financial and material means. Besides, it is important to involve him or her into a comprehensive overall concept towards strengthening the rights of children.
This overall concept should include the promotion of children's rights in the German Basic Law, the promotion of the Federal Children's Commission, ombudspersons for child and youth welfare services and a complaint management system for all public operators and institutions of child and youth welfare services. Not least at all, it is necessary to check if the ombudsperson for children mainly should be represented at the Länder and municipal levels because it is there where the life of children and adolescents really takes place.
P@L: Finally I would like to ask a personal question: As far as the strengthening of children and young people and their flexibility is concerned, what do you think about considering every day to be a Child's Day?
Beate Walter Rosenheimer: This is an attractive proposition and I am sure that all children would love it.
Nevertheless, I would like to mention that I personally don’t like "memorial days", such as Mother's, Father's or Valentine's Day etc. In my opinion we don’t need "memorial days" for the ones we love, because they should be important to us anyway and we should treat them with respect regardless of any memorial days. In my opinion that is what really matters.
The interview was held by Thomas R. Müller (Playground@Landscape)
Photo: Kinderkommission des Deutschen Bundestages
