Given a new UNICEF study highlighting high levels of child poverty in Germany, Die Linke (The Left Party) has called on the federal government to take immediate action.
Nicole Gohlke, Deputy Spokesperson for the party’s parliamentary group, described the fact that a wealthy country like Germany performs so poorly regarding the well-being of its children, and effectively tolerates structural child poverty, as a “shameful scandal”. According to Gohlke, it is necessary not only to immediately embed strong, enforceable child rights into the Basic Law but also to establish a “genuine, poverty-proof basic child security” to replace the current “political placebos”.
Gohlke further advocated for massive, targeted investments in the social infrastructure-ranging from well-equipped daycare centers in disadvantaged areas to comprehensive health care access-so that the constitutional right to a positive upbringing no longer depends on the parents’ financial standing.
The urgency stems from international reports. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a comparison study on child well-being on Sunday, which placed Germany at number 25 out of 37 evaluated countries. The study revealed that the child poverty rate in Germany has been stagnating at a high 15 percent over several years, and UNICEF labeled Germany’s standing in education as “alarming”.