Take a look at our Opinion series, with individual voices from inside and outside COFACE, providing different perspectives and insights on topics relevant for families of today.
Ethnic segregation is a widespread and systematic practice in many European countries. These practices are illegal yet continue to shape the lives of children and families across Europe. Our rights to education, housing, and health, ostensibly enjoyed by us all, remain divided along ethnic lines. For many Roma, their enjoyment of these rights is severely limited, often with the tacit support of the state.
While social media are used for many purposes and from all ages, young people constitute a significant proportion of internet users. Unfortunately, as they engage in online activities they may enter dangerous situations such as cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and other forms of cybercrimes. But what happens when the parents themselves expose their children to these dangers through actions such as sharing information about their children online under the veil of parenting?
53% of Europe’s population between the ages of 6 and 64 plays video games. And, whilst the average age of a player is 32, many players are children. Europe’s video game companies are dedicated to creating games for everyone to enjoy and, also, importantly, to provide safe, responsible environments for those games to be enjoyed in.
It’s difficult to disentangle the energy poverty crisis from all the other crises the world is experiencing. Over 50 million Europeans aren’t able to adequately light, heat, or cool their homes. A number set to be exacerbated by the multiple, interlocking health, climate, and humanitarian disasters we are facing.
Legislative reforms must be driven by evidence, not by a dogmatic belief in self-regulation. It is only if the EU adopts legally binding rules protecting all children from exposure to all forms of cross-border unhealthy food marketing that it will ensure that their best interests are upheld as a primary consideration.
As a parent and child safety expert, I see great value in how the internet can help children grow. Finding relevant information can be transformational but it’s important that this is done in a way that is safe, protects their privacy, and puts minors in control of their data.
In 2020, Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) launched the Play for Change Awards to celebrate toy makers who help kids confidently navigate the world around them. Toy makers know the power their ‘tools of play’ can have over children and they are choosing to use that power for a very positive change.
The toys children play with have a powerful impact on the way they perceive the world. Presenting positive portrayals of children in all their diversity is crucial: toy companies should take a transformative approach to ensure their toys and associating marketing are diverse.
The first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development of the body, brain, and communication. They lay the foundation for cognitive functioning; behavioral, social, and self-regulatory capacities; and physical health. EASPD – the European Association of Service Providers for persons with Disabilities – is strongly committed to developing quality ECI systems across Europe based on the individual needs of the children, families, and carers.
