WRITTEN QUESTION E-2776/97 by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE) to the Commission (1 September 1997)

Subject: Protection of children

The Union has not defined the position of children, and the matter has been left to the discretion of national legislators in each Member State. The position of children is not properly recognized in the Union, barring a Directive relating to protection of young people at work. For a Finn it practically goes without saying that a child has the right to express its wishes in connection with divorce cases, for example. Does the same apply in all the Member States?

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets the universal standard, putting the good of children first and laying down an obligation to develop legislation to foster it. All of the Union Member States have signed the Convention. For legal reasons the Union cannot accede, because it is not a State.

Finnish child welfare organizations (Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto and Lastensuojelun Keskusliitto) have drawn attention to that fact. They are calling for children's rights to be respected in the Union, for instance where family matters are concerned.

The Union's decision-making affects matters having a bearing on the future. The young generations will grow up with our decisions. Environmental or economic effects are often questioned, but the position of children is hardly discussed.

Children have become devotees of the Internet, a new kind of information society. Services offered on the Internet are not subject to any form of control. These services, therefore, which in some cases are even used by criminals, for example to make a bomb or indulge in child pornography, are likewise accessible to children.

Crimes involving children frequently extend beyond national borders. The Belgian and French paedophilia scandals have been the biggest recent news stories. Paedophilia is just one aspect of child-related crime, along with the problems associated with the spread of drugs.

What will the Commission do to improve the situation for children? Will it define their position within the Union? What will it do to secure accession to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (10 October 1997)

The Commission is fully active in playing its role within the third pillar, particularly in 'the fight against the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children'. In this context, it runs the STOP programme, which is a multiannual programme providing 6.5 MECU for the period 1996 to 2000 for an incentive and exchange programme for those responsible for combating trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children ((OJ L 322, 12.12.1996. )). This involves the training and provision of information for public officials, such as judges, police, civil servants, immigration officers and social workers.

In addition, the Commission supports projects under the Daphne initiative, a programme for which 3 MECU have been included in the 1997 budget for measures to combat violence against women, young people and children. It aims to assist non-governmental and voluntary organisations active in this field. Its scope covers sexual and non-sexual violence both within and outside the family. The Commission has proposed an amount of 3 MECU in the 1998 preliminary draft budget to continue this initiative next year.

On the civil side, work is under way for a convention on jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters. In this context, due attention is being paid to the protection of the child's right to be heard.

As regards services offered on the Internet, the Commission has adopted a communication on the 'illegal and harmful contents on the Internet' ((COM(96) 487. )) as well as a green paper on the protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services ((COM(96) 483. )).

Finally, the Commission supported recently, in the context of its activities in relation to family policies, initiatives on minors and media.