A4-0004/99

Resolution on the protection of families and children

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mr Ribeiro and others on child labour in the European Union (B4-0692/98),

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mrs Ferrer on the worldwide elimination of child labour (B4-0800/98),

- having regard to its resolution of 9 June 1983 on family policy in the European Community ((OJ C 184, 11.7.1983, p. 116.)),

- having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Ministers responsible for family affairs meeting within the Council of 29 September 1989 ((OJ C 277, 31.10.1989, p. 2.)),

- having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989, which has been ratified by all the Member States of the European Union,

- having regard to its resolution of 14 December 1994 on protection of families and family units at the close of the International Year of the Family ((OJ C 18, 23.1.1995, p. 96.)),

- having regard to Directive 92/85/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding ((OJ L 348, 28.11.1992, p. 1.)), which provides for a continuous period of maternity leave of at least 14 weeks and protection against dismissal on the grounds of their condition,

- having regard to Recommendation 92/241/EEC on child care ((OJ L 123, 8.5.1992, p. 16.)), which encourages the development of child-care services, which are still inadequate in most European countries,

- having regard to the European strategy for children, which was adopted by the Council of Europe in January 1996, and the European Convention on the Exercise of Children's Rights of 25 January 1996, which guarantees specific rights within the framework of family law,

- having regard to Directive 96/34/EC on parental leave ((OJ L 145, 19.6.1996, p. 4.)), which grants parental leave to men and women workers on the grounds of the birth or adoption of a child to enable them to take care of that child for at least three months,

- having regard to Directive 97/81/EC on part-time work ((OJ L 14, 20.1.1998, p. 9.)), which makes it easier to reconcile family life and professional life on a voluntary and non-discriminatory basis,

- having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of 2 July 1998 on the 'exploitation of children and sex tourism' ((OJ C 284, 14.9.1998, p. 92.)),

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Women's Rights and the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs (A4-0004/99),

A. whereas demographic, sociological, technological and scientific changes, which represent strong trends in the development of our European societies, have a direct impact on the future of our social security systems and on solidarity between generations, but also have an impact on the development of family policies,

B. whereas such changes cause problems which affect social and human development,

C. whereas the family environment plays one of the most important parts in the creation and cohesion of social ties and it is thus best placed to end the process of isolation and marginalisation; whereas the contribution made by families to the education of children and care of aged or handicapped members of the family is of vital importance and helps to prevent psycho-social deficits,

D. whereas family-based life-styles and the forms of mutual help and emotional support which go with them contribute substantially to quality of life and whereas it is in the interest of states and institutions to help families to perform their functions so that they are not penalised either in economic terms or from the social and socio-cultural point of view,

E. whereas the reconciliation by mothers and fathers of their professional and family lives is a key factor in a modern family policy,

F. mindful of the importance of a policy on towns and urban areas which is geared to the needs of families, in particular with regard to housing, infrastructures and the provision of recreation areas and care facilities for children which meet the needs of very young children, as well as the location in residential areas of the other services that families need in everyday life,

G. whereas society should also focus on children and young people in rural areas so that they do not run the risk of isolation but are given the opportunity to socialise in groups,

H. whereas the annual reports of the European Family Policy Observatory have usefully highlighted problems common to the Member States, particularly linked to family income, child protection and solidarity between generations,

I. whereas the meaning of social cohesion acquires a new dimension within the family and between the generations,

J. concerned at the economic, social and cultural consequences of the demographic ageing of Europe and the need to maintain and promote this social cohesion,

K. concerned at the poverty which affects millions of children in the European Union,

L. concerned at the fact that children, including in the European Union, are exploited, abducted or maltreated or become victims of prostitution and paedophilia,

M. concerned that crimes are being committed by ever-younger criminals,

N. shocked at the enormous extent of the sexual marketing of children, particularly through modern communications media,

O. whereas the Member States must recognise and guarantee in practical terms the rights of children as laid down in the UN Convention adopted nine years ago and ensure their physical, moral and material protection,

P. stressing that young people still place the family at the top of their list of values,

1. Considers it necessary to define guidelines for an integrated family policy which takes account of the diversity of family models, goes beyond the strictly economic approach of policies geared solely to benefits and allowances and takes into account the promotion of equal opportunities for men and women;

2. Looks to the Member States to develop initiatives seeking to involve fathers more closely in the upbringing of children;

3. Calls on the Member States to conduct specific family policies supporting and protecting the family financially and in its role as an educational force and a source of solidarity between the generations; asks the Member States - considering the diversity of family models - to take account in their policy of the needs and requirements of families, for instance by improving the balance between work and leisure time, strengthening solidarity between the generations, and modernising social protection so that it can more appropriately and effectively meet the new needs arising in our societies;

4. Hopes that the situation facing single-parent families, whose numbers are on the increase, will be dealt with by specific measures; insists on specific measures to ensure a decent income, social protection and child care;

5. Calls for a coherent and coordinated family policy to be drawn up which places children at the heart of the European debate, recognises their rights and responds to their vital needs;

6. Calls, consequently, for all proposals for Community acts to be accompanied by a family impact statement geared to the well-being of children; recalls its decision concerning a biennial report on poverty which would take into account the situation of children in the EU;

7. Calls for an extraordinary European Council meeting to be held without delay so that a genuine debate can take place on the consequences of the demographic, family and child-protection policies pursued by the various Member States;

8. Urges that a Council of Ministers responsible for family affairs and children should meet once a year, or that a section of the agenda of the Social Affairs Council be devoted to monitoring these issues once every six months;

9. Supports the idea that a clearly identified unit within the Commission should be entirely devoted to family affairs and child protection and that it should work in permanent contact with the European Parliament and family and child-protection organisations and also Europol, and calls urgently for the revival of the Commission's inter-departmental group on matters related to childhood;

10. Calls on the Commission to hold a conference in the coming year, with the European Parliament, NGOs and the Council of Europe, on the situation of children in the European Union;

11. Recommends the introduction of guidelines for action in favour of children, drawn up with the partners in government, family organisations and solidarity organisations working directly or indirectly to improve the social integration of children in Europe;

12. Calls for the structure and role of the European Family Policy Observatory currently operating under the aegis of DG V at the Commission to be strengthened, for it to submit an annual report to the European Parliament, for it to continue to draw up an inventory of legislation and policies affecting children in the Member States and for it to monitor and evaluate guidelines for action on children;

13. Recommends, in order to combat child and maternal mortality, the introduction of a European perinatal epidemiological network, composed of regional perinatal surveillance units within each country, and of a common European perinatal database for storing medical data and data relating to the prevention of psycho-social dysfunctioning in the child-parent relationship;

14. Stresses, with a view to making it easier to reconcile family life and social life, the importance of speedy implementation of directives adopted on the subject and regular assessment of further developments as underlined by the Commission in the employment guidelines for 1999;

15. Hopes that the abovementioned Council recommendation on child care will be backed up by a directive; asks the Member States to comply with the recommendation, whose objective is to 'progressively encourage initiatives to enable women and men to reconcile their occupational, family and upbringing responsibilities arising from the care of children';

16. Asks the Commission to disseminate best practice in the Member States as regards facilities for children, specific benefits relating to forms of care, the reintegration of elderly people into social life and making use of their abilities for the benefit of children, safety in public places and the adaptation of public transport to the needs of children and the provision of facilities for cultural interaction;

17. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the regional and local authorities to provide financial support for the establishment of schools for parents and out-of-school associations which will improve children's integration into social life, commit both parents to child care and upbringing tasks within the family and ensure that proposals are put forward for the benefit of children and young people in rural areas;

18. Calls on the Member States to adopt an active policy for children and young people, encouraging adequate social and educational services, supporting social centres for young people, and encouraging education and training that will integrate young people in society;

19. Encourages the Member States to appoint, taking account of their traditions and social models, children's ombudsmen with the task of reaching an amicable settlement to conflicts involving young people under the age of 18;

20. Notes that unfortunately abuse often occurs in unstable families and urges the Member States to conduct information campaigns to raise public awareness of all the problems affecting children, and break the wall of silence which all too often goes up around such shameful events; calls for families that are at risk, either for financial or social reasons, to be supported by adequate policies and for the specialist social workers and NGOs to conduct serious information campaigns to raise public awareness of these issues;

21. Proposes, in order to prevent the mistreatment and violence suffered by children, the creation of a European centre for children in danger which would have the task of promoting the exchange of know-how and experience among organisations and associations working in child-related areas and of making available a European register of children who have disappeared, and of culprits who have received sentences, drawn up in cooperation with the national police and judicial authorities and Europol;

22. Calls on the Member States to harmonise at a high level and tighten their prevention and child-protection laws, including with regard to penalties for the perpetration of acts of violence against and the mistreatment of children;

23. Recommends as a matter of urgency, that action be taken to set up agencies, foundations or telephone services whose aim is to provide aid and assistance to victims of violent family situations and recommends the establishment, within the Member States, of multidisciplinary structures (comprising doctors, judges, social workers, teachers, parents' associations and churches) to address these problems and to develop effective channels of assistance for children who have experienced or witnessed family violence;

24. Stresses the need to design, on the basis of the consideration currently being given to the European judicial area, a coordinated mechanism among our European countries in the area of family law in order to avoid penalising children in the event of divorce between partners of different nationalities;

25. Calls, in order to combat the sexual exploitation and prostitution of children, for the harmonisation of legislation on child pornography, for the introduction of rules governing extra-territorial powers making it possible for nationals who have committed sexual offences outside their national territory to be prosecuted and punished, and for legislation with international effect to curb the development of sex tourism;

26. Calls on the Commission to present an assessment of application of Council Directive 94/33/EC on the protection of young people at work ((OJ L 216, 20.8.1994, p. 12.)); calls for specific measures to be taken in order to combat the exploitation of children in the world by giving preferential treatment to countries which respect international provisions and promoting a labelling scheme guaranteeing those provisions;

27. Calls for Europol to be properly equipped to identify and tackle criminal networks connected with the trafficking in and sexual exploitation of children, and for use to be made of the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the exchange of information;

28. Calls on the Member States to adopt measures, by analogy with the provisions of Article 22 of Directive 89/552/EEC, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC ('Television without frontiers') ((OJ L 202, 30.6.1997, p. 60.)), to prevent children from facing situations in the media, including the new technologies, that seriously affect their physical, mental or moral development, particularly pornographic scenes or images of gratuitous violence;

29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments of the Member States.