End child poverty with a Child Guarantee
Since 2014, the socialist family have been pushing for their initiative of a Child Guarantee to fight child poverty across Europe. Today, one in five children in Europe lives in poverty. One in five children goes to bed on an empty stomach, has no roof over their head, or their parents cannot afford to pay for childcare, school supplies or essential medicines. As the pandemic is hitting companies and jobs hard, more parents are struggling with putting food on the table and home schooling their kids.
Child poverty is not just about the countless individual tragedies, it also inflicts long-term damage on our societies. Deprivation during childhood increases the likelihood of experiencing poverty later in life. With our initiative for a Child Guarantee, we aim to break this vicious circle.
The Child Guarantee is a tool to protect children’s rights and fight growing inequalities that threaten to tear our societies apart. The Child Guarantee will ensure decent housing and adequate nutrition, as well as free, quality education, childcare and healthcare for all children in need. Socialist Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit has presented a Commission proposal that will oblige EU governments to submit national action plans detailing how they will achieve these goals. As we have already managed to get funding for the European Child Guarantee through the European Social Fund, this step will finally make the Child Guarantee a reality across Europe.
This political milestone for building a more inclusive and resilient society will help to meet our target of 5 million fewer children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2030. The Child Guarantee is a first and crucial step for ending child poverty, but we also urgently need a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy and a directive on fair minimum wages. We can end child poverty across Europe now, so let’s do it.