Resolution on the protection of families and children
Date: 1999-01-28
Institutions: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: family, family policy, gender equality, one-parent family, recognition of diplomas

7.5.1999

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5.  Protection of families and children

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 (1),

›  having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Ministers responsible for family affairs meeting

within the Council of 29 September 1989 (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 (3),

›  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 (4), 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 (5), 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(cid:146)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 (6), 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 (7), 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

(cid:145)exploitation of children and sex tourism(cid:146) (8),

›  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(cid:146)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,

(1)  OJ C 184, 11.7.1983, p. 116.
(2)  OJ C 277, 31.10.1989, p. 2.
(3)  OJ C 18, 23.1.1995, p. 96.
(4)  OJ L 348, 28.11.1992, p. 1.
(5)  OJ L 123, 8.5.1992, p. 16.
(6)  OJ L 145, 19.6.1996, p. 4.
(7)  OJ L 14, 20.1.1998, p. 9.
(8)  OJ C 284, 14.9.1998, p. 92.

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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;

Looks to the Member States to develop initiatives seeking to involve fathers more closely in the

2.
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;

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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;

Calls for a coherent and coordinated family policy to be drawn up which places children at the heart

5.
of the European debate, recognises their rights and responds to their vital needs;

Calls, consequently, for all proposals for Community acts to be accompanied by a family impact
6.
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;

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

Urges that a Council of Ministers responsible for family affairs and children should meet once a
8.
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(cid:146)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
(cid:145)progressively encourage initiatives to enable women and men to reconcile their occupational, family and
upbringing responsibilities arising from the care of children(cid:146);

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;

Calls  on  the  Commission,  the  Member  States  and  the  regional  and  local  authorities  to  provide
17.
financial support for the establishment of schools for parents and out-of-school associations which will
improve children(cid:146)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;

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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(cid:146)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(cid:146) associations and churches) to address these problems
and to develop effective channels of assistance for children who have experienced or witnessed family
violence;

Stresses the need to design, on the basis of the consideration currently being given to the European
24.
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;

Calls on the Commission to present an assessment of application of Council Directive 94/33/EC on
26.
the protection of young people at work (1); 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;

Calls on the Member States to adopt measures, by analogy with the provisions of Article 22 of
28.
Directive 89/552/EEC, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC ((cid:145)Television without frontiers(cid:146)) (2), 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;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national

29.
parliaments of the Member States.

(1)  OJ L 216, 20.8.1994, p. 12.
(2)  OJ L 202, 30.6.1997, p. 60.