Why the European Child Guarantee is so important for children’s rights

by Xhuana Spaneshi

One in five children in the European Union is living in poverty. Aware of this, the European Child Guarantee (ECG) was established in 2021 with the aim of breaking the cycle of disadvantage affecting children in the EU.  In 2023 Save The Children Europe reported an alarming increase in children and families living in poverty in Europe, despite the fact that this is one the the most economically  developed and wealthiest regions of the world. The pandemic had a massive negative effect on the living conditions of families, with the number of children in poverty in the EU increasing by 19% in 2020 alone.

What is the European Child Guarantee?

The ECG was initiated by the European Commission in order to guarantee effective access to essential services for children „at risk of poverty or social exclusion“ (AROPE). The areas covered are:

• Free early childhood education and care
• Free education (including school-based activities and at least one healthy meal each school day)
• Free healthcare
• Healthy nutrition
• Adequate housing

It was considered a milestone by several civil society organizations working on children’s rights since the ECG was adopted when the pandemic was still ongoing, therefore it was a crucial moment that worsened the conditions of the children in need.

In the first phase of the preparatory action, the European Parliament identified four groups of children as especially in need to access services:

1. Children with disabilities
2. Children residing in institutions
3. Children with a migrant background (including refugee children)
4. Children living in precarious family situations

States have a key role to play

The ECG addresses the need for national action to effectively implement its guidelines. Member States can access multiple EU funds to implement projects, such as the European Social Fund (ESF). Indeed, it was established that Member States with a level of child poverty above the EU average (23.4% – AROPE 2017–2019) are expected to allocate 5% of ESF+ resources to combat child poverty. In 2023, Save The Children Europe compared 14 EU countries between 2020 and 2021 using the AROPE indicator and found that some countries fare much worse: Spain and Romania were the highest, with 33.4% and 41.5% of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion.To guarantee that the ECG is implemented into national projects, national Child Guarantee coordinators are nominated by each member State. Moreover, to concretely take action, national action plans were expected to be designed within March 2022, covering the time frame until 2030.

In Austria, the coordination is in the hands of the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK) in consultation with the Ministry of Family Affairs and Education. Dr. Klaus Vavrik has been nominated as the Austrian national coordinator.

When the ECG was adopted, children’s rights civil society organizations, even though they appreciated the effort, stressed how there was a lack of a more comprehensive approach. There is a need to guarantee access to resources and child participation.

The importance of children’s participation

Eurochild, the largest network of organizations and individuals working with and for children in Europe, pointed out the need for meaningful and inclusive child participation.

In its 2021 analysis of the ECG, Eurochild stressed that, even though child participation is mentioned as key in the preparation and implementation process, there is a lack of concrete commitment to support children stakeholders and children themselves in guaranteeing the right to participate. This right is safeguarded not only by international treaties, such as the CRC, but also by EU provisions: indeed, the right to participate is a pillar of the 2013 Recommendation on Investing in Children.

In conclusion, while the ECG represents a significant step towards addressing child poverty in Europe, there remains a pressing need for comprehensive action and meaningful participation to safeguard the well-being and rights of vulnerable children across Europe.

Child poverty in Austria

Austria has achieved relative success in combating child poverty, with relatively low numbers of children experiencing income poverty, material deprivation, or having low-educated parents – the three markers of socio-economic disadvantage. The country has effectively guaranteed fundamental material services such as clothing and nutrition, leading to a decrease in the child material deprivation rate to 8%, which is significantly lower than the average of OECD European countries.

However, since the financial crisis of 2008, children’s income poverty has been on the rise. In 2021, reports indicated that both income poverty and material deprivation were experienced by 4% of children. Additionally, a higher number of children, 8%, were found to be living in households with low-educated parents, highlighting another aspect of socio-economic disadvantage. Nonetheless, this figure is lower than in some OECD countries with poorer performances, such as Spain with 22% and Italy with 24%.

Despite Austria’s achievements in ensuring essential services for children at risk of poverty, such as free education, organizations like SOS Children Villages, founded in Austria in 1948, report that children growing up in poverty,  primarily from single-parent households, single retired women, families with more than three children, and persons with non-EU/EFTA citizenship, still struggle in access basic services. 

Therefore, the objectives of the European Child Guarantee are crucial for Austrian authorities and all organizations and institutions working with and for children.

Sources:

Jean–Jacques Hallaert. (2023). Rising Child Poverty in Europe: Mitigating the Scarring from the COVID-19 Pandemic. IMF Working Paper, 2023(134), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400244896.001 

Save The Children. OVER 200,000 MORE CHILDREN ARE AT RISK OF POVERTY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: SAVE THE CHILDREN REPORT, 23 March 2023.  

European Child Guarantee. ec.europa.eu. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1428&langId=en#JAF

THE CHILD GUARANTEE: BREAKING THE CYCLE OF DISADVANTAGE PHASE III OF THE PREPARATORY ACTION FOR A CHILD GUARANTEE Phase III of the European Child Guarantee.  Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/21556/file/Programmatic%20Update%20April%2022.pdf

Austria. (2017). SOS Children’s Villages. https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/where-we-help/europe/austria

Clarke, C. and O. Thévenon (2023), „Childhood socio-economic disadvantage in Austria: A snapshot of key challenges“, OECD Papers on Well-being and Inequalities, No. 19, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/c05f13f8-en.