a little girl measuring her height against marking on the wallThe EU Alliance for Investing in Children welcomes the European Commission’s prioritisation of child poverty reduction under Principle 11 of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). In its latest contribution, the organisation proposes three key recommendations:

  1. Actions to implement Principle 11 on care and support to children and Principles 1, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19 and 20 of the Pillar of Social Rights.
  2. Ways to mainstream the rights of children who are growing up in poverty and social exclusion in Principles 1, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16, 19 and 20 the European Pillar of Social Rights.
  3. The development of an overarching Europe 2030 Strategy that will balance the EU’s social, economic and environmental dimensions.

A significant number of Eurodiaconia members work in areas related to children’s well-being, including family support centres, after-school programs, child protection and counselling, trauma therapy and family mediation. Our members experiences on a day to day basis allow them to see the structural and systemic changes needed to address the risks of child poverty and exclusion. In today’s Europe it is unacceptable that one in four children is at risk of social exclusion and poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic and the socioeconomic consequences it has already caused are worryingly expected to escalate this figure exponentially, further affecting health and wellbeing, and the living conditions of millions of children in Europe.

For more information, please read the full recommendations from Eurodiaconia and the Alliance partners.