Governmental Protection for families in Austria and Germany Every child has the right to equal opportunities and to be protected as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and therefore it is particularly important that states offer legal and financial support for families to ensure that the child receives the necessary care and protection. The family is widely recognised as the basic unit of society; the core which builds communities, therefore it is important to assess under which conditions families raise their children. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 16(3) states that “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” Further, The UNCRC article 26 expresses that governments should provide extra money for the children of families in need and article 27 stipulates that every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and mental needs. It is also important to note that the UNCRC states in article 41 that if a national law protects children better than the article of the Convention, then those laws should override the Convention. Based on these important international human rights convention articles, governments should help families who cannot afford to provide a decent standard of living. GNRD would like to emphasise that every family throughout the world has the right to good living conditions; this is what we all are working towards and ultimately fight for. With this in mind, this article focuses on two countries: Austria and Germany, in order to assess what their governments are doing to support and protect families with a primary focus on financial support. The structure of family assistance in Austria The family allowance according to Austrian law is divided by the age and number of children and is independent of parental income. The description for each family type and how much assistance they receive is as follows: From birth EUR109,70 From 3 years EUR117,30 From age 10 EUR136,20 From the age of 19 EUR158,90 With significant disability (Care allowance) EUR60+150.- The total monthly amount of the family allowance is gradually increased for each child. The family allowance is paid every two months. The information below shows the exact expenditure by the state (as of 2012), according to the latest information available: a) Two children, 6.7 € for each child b) Three children 16, 6 € for each child, c) Four children 25, 5 € for each child, d) Five children, 30, 8 € for each child, e) Six children 34, 3 € for each child, f) Seven or more children, 50, 0 € for each child. In 2012, the Ministry for the Family calculated the expenditure to be 6.3 billion euros. In the same year, there were 1,744,518 children who received government assistance. Family Protection in Germany In Germany a constitutional tax exemption for children is offered, therefore child benefits in Germany are nominally higher than in Austria. Typically, if the attributable income taxes are deducted, then every child will get 50 euros, because child assistance depends on the tax rate of the parents. It should be noted that in Germany, there are two types of family allowance, child benefits and parent benefits, both of which are sent to the parents’ bank accounts. Parental allowance in Germany The parental allowance is a governmental policy, which supports the families in a financial way after the birth of a child. This money will replace the net income of the parent providing care for the child. The Parental allowance is given to employees, civil servants, self-employed, unemployed parents, students, trainees, spouses, partners and adopting parents. Families with more than two children and with young children get a sibling bonus of 10% on top of the parental allowance (min. 75 Euro). Child benefits in Germany All parents in Germany receive child benefits on behalf of their children, from their birth until they are 18 years old. The period of benefits will be extended only for unemployed children up to the age of 21. For children who are training for a profession, such as studying or teaching, parents can receive the child allowance up to the age of 25. The amount of the child benefits received depends on the order of the child’s birth. Child benefits are not taxed and this is regardless of the parents’ salary. The allowance paid seems to be considered enough in the majority of cases. In higher income groups, parents benefit from tax savings due to the child’s allowance being deducted from the taxable income. Conclusions and Recommendations As this article has demonstrated, in both countries, Austria and Germany, families are supported by the state once they have a child. The governments of Austria and Germany are trying to help support families in a financial way, to help ensure financially security. With this financial support it is hoped that families are encouraged to raise their children in a stable manner and provide them with a safe and protected family environment. GNRD supports the continuation of these benefits in Austria and Germany to aid and help protect families, although GNRD believes that the financial resources should be allocated in a way that would ensure that families who are most in need get extra help and support. Unfortunately, this type of financial assistance is not being provided in every country. There are some countries, particularly the least developed countries and those in a state of conflict, which cannot provide the necessary financial support to families. In these least economically developed countries, children often have to help their family and themselves to survive through hard labour. GNRD recognises that states differ in the resources they have, nevertheless all states should ensure they are doing all they can to protect the family unit, irrespective of the state’s financial situation. GNRD strongly appeals to developed countries, such as Austria and Germany, to keep supporting and increasing their development aid so that the living conditions of families in the poorest countries can also be improved. Furthermore, GNRD calls upon states to offer assistance and advice to each other regarding best practices for ensuring the protection of the family and on providing family assistance and benefits. Furthermore, instead of inside support, families in least developed countries often depend on outside support from non-governmental organisations, who try to assist countries by providing aid and developing projects for children and families. These support programs offered by NGOs can help transform and improve children’s lives and therefore GNRD encourages NGOs to continue and strengthen the support for families all over the world, as GNRD itself intends to do. Thus, GNRD calls for action and attention to the issue of family protection and encourages all states to provide financial support to families and to respect and abide by the UNCRC and other international human rights articles relating to children and family life. Author: Jasmin, Basma Ali, Researcher, GNRD HQ Co-Author: Victoria Brannan, Legal Researcher, GNRD HQ gnrd.net/seemore.php?id=566
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:55:17 +0000
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