Standing up for the rights of European children

November 20, 2023.

On the occasion of "World Children's Rights Day" on November 20, The Young Families Club (Ficsak) and the Szent István Institute have collaboratively developed a five-point proposal. Recognizing the weight of parental responsibility and acknowledging the substantial challenges that extend beyond the borders of European nations, posing threats to the well-being of our children, we are poised to present our proposal to family organizations across Europe. Our intent is to foster collaboration among European parents, urging joint efforts to address the critical issues affecting the lives of our children.

34 years ago on this day, November 20, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and since then this day has been World Children's Rights Day. The convention summarizes the minimum rights that all states must guarantee to children, such as children's rights to survival, development, protection and participation in society. When the convention was adopted, Europe was still at the forefront of representing children's rights, but today the situation has changed significantly. The safety and healthy development of European children is threatened by a series of new dangers.

In the past, the enforcement of children's rights was primarily a challenge in developing countries, but now in our wider home, in the European countries organized on a welfare and democratic basis, the conditions related to the safe physical, mental and moral development of children are becoming more and more uncertain, and we are experiencing intense efforts to restrict parental rights as well.

The escalating phenomenon of mass illegal migration in Europe has led to a surge in conflicts stemming from cultural and religious differences within public education institutions. Concurrently, there is a notable decline in the appeal of careers in education and childcare, indicating a growing concern. It appears that leaders of states and the adult generations in Europe may be encountering challenges in adequately meeting the basic needs of their own children amidst these evolving circumstances. Addressing this complex issue necessitates a comprehensive and collaborative approach to ensure the well-being and educational stability of the younger generation.

In addition, as a result of the terrorist attacks on Israel, European Jews have come under the crossfire of unacceptable attacks, which have not been experienced for a long time. As a result, Jewish schools have to be put under police protection, and many parents do not dare to let their children out of their house, which violates their most basic rights. Meanwhile, a war has been raging in our neighborhood for 21 long months, many thousands of children have become semi-orphans, many more have lost their homes, were forced to leave their country. They are struggling with serious mental problems caused by the war, which may affect their entire lives, and it is still not clear when there will finally be a ceasefire. By destroying energy security and economic competitiveness, the war unleashed inflation on Europe, and thus the living conditions of millions of families with children became difficult.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the social bonds of entire generations have loosened, and with online learning, many children throughout Europe have dropped out of public education or are still suffering the consequences of several months of school closures. However, the online world absorbed the children anyway, their social relationships were radically transformed, many forms of addiction and a mass of harmful effects appeared as a side effect of digitalization (gaming addiction, porn addiction, body image disorder, self-esteem problems, online abuse, etc.). And the states of Europe have no answer to all of this for the time being, in fact, what is really dramatic: it is as if they are not even looking for solutions.

Along with the deep identity crisis that characterizes European culture and the consolidation of postmodern ideas into a violent norm, the generations now growing up have also come under immeasurably harmful ideological influence: gender ideology has become a curriculum and a mandatory part of pop culture, LGBTQ activism and the resulting sexual freedom became a trend, while its consequences for the development of the children's personal lives are immeasurable. Indoctrination in this direction is present from early childhood and in many cases openly goes against the will of the parents, restricts the parents' primary right to raise their child, while supporting irreversible interventions in the child's physical and mental development (see support for children with gender identity disorder in "gender reassignment").

Hungarian parents and family organizations urge a wake-up call and call for European-level parental cooperation, because this is the only way to avoid phenomena that endanger children in the long term.

The Club of Young Families (Ficsak) and the Szent István Institute therefore formulated a call for partnership with European parents with the aim of protecting children and warn European decision-makers that we must:

1. Stop illegal migration, which threatens the safety of children and has serious consequences for the lives of future generations!

2. Say no to the influence of gender ideology on children and support children so that they can grow up fully according to their birth gender!

3. Take up the fight against technological changes that seriously threaten children's development by regulating the tech giants!

4. Help put an end to the war raging in our neighborhood, which brought suffering to thousands of children, which unleashed inflation on Europe through the crushing of energy security and economic competitiveness, and thus made the living standards for millions of families with children more difficult!

5. Take the most decisive action against the open attacks on our European way of life, which pose an elementary danger to our children!

Our primary aspiration is for every European child to experience a life of safety, nurturance, and holistic growth—physically, mentally, and morally. It is our collective vision that, in the future, each child can not only inherit the gift of life but also pass it on to subsequent generations, preserving the unique cultural heritage that Europe holds. Today, we assert these fundamental parental demands as a crucial step towards upholding the rights of European children. It is our shared responsibility to create an environment that fosters their well-being, ensuring they can thrive and contribute to the continuation of our rich cultural legacy.

Parents, grandparents: the future of your children and grandchildren is at stake, it's time to make your voice heard!