POLITICAL LOBBYING

Lobbying in Germany has a negative connotation. Whenever there are media reports that business associations are dictating legislative bills to ministries, for instance, the question arises as to whether all this is in the interest of citizens.

It is: We, Deutscher Kinderverein e.V., believe that lobbying is needed, and that it is the right approach. Children cannot enunciate their rights; they are not yet eligible to vote. They need strong advocates – a lobby – when their rights are at stake. That is why we want to act as political activists and provide abused children a voice. We want to convince people with good arguments while functioning as liaisons between society and the political sphere.

The political arena must live up to its responsibility to protect and improve the lives of children – whether this be by means of laws and regulation, financial resources or specific measures such as the establishment of nation-wide outpatient clinics to protect children against violence. We want to pester policymakers, to make them aware of grievances and offer solutions.
We want policies that focus more on children and their protection. To this end, we are in constant dialogue with political decision-makers in Germany and Europe.

We want to ratchet up the pressure for action to be taken to diminish everyday violence against children, be it in a domestic environment or in regions torn by war and crises. We want children’s rights to be enshrined in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany – the German Constitution.

In short, we are the lobby that intends to make life for children a lot better as well as safer and more secure.