Cultural Gathering: Engaging with Different Communities - Children's Day: Holter advocates modifying the Basic Law
Prior to International Children's Day, Thuringia's Education Minister, Helmut Holter, urged the Berlin traffic light coalition to insert children's rights into the country's constitution. "The Berlin traffic light needs to fulfill its coalition agreement now, as we're running short on time before the next federal election," said the Left party politician to the German Press Agency. "Children's rights should be in the constitution."
A long-standing desire to incorporate children's rights in the constitution has come from various quarters. The traffic light government has listed this as a target in its coalition agreement. Negotiations on a proposal from the previous CDU/CSU and SPD governments didn't pan out in 2021. To amend the constitution, you need a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.
On June 1 (Saturday), International Children's Day is observed. In the past, this day was commemorated in the former East Germany and is still celebrated by several families in the Eastern German states. Additionally, Thuringia made World Children's Day (September 20) a statutory holiday a few years ago, allowing people in the region to take a break. "Having two Children's Days celebrated in Thuringia is a good thing," said Holter, reflecting on the importance of not forgetting about children and their rights. "From this constitutional mandate, the state's obligation is to work on addressing child poverty and education inequalities."
Kati Engel, the children and youth policy spokesperson for the Left faction, emphasized their efforts to achieve a child guarantee on a federal level. "We need to do more to support children and families and give everyone a fair start in life," she said.
With International Children's Day approaching on June 1, Holter mentioned that altering the Kindergarten Law in Thuringia's upcoming state parliament session would serve as "the best present" for the occasion. negotiations over this issue between the parties in Thuringia have been ongoing for months. Holter, the Left, SPD, and Greens currently don't have a majority in the state parliament, so they rely on the cooperation of the opposition to pass bills.
Read also:
- Helmut Holter, the Education Minister from Thuringia, called on the Berlin traffic light coalition to amend the Basic Law to include children's rights, citing the upcoming federal election as a reason for immediate action.
- The coalition agreement of the traffic light government lists incorporating children's rights into the constitution as a goal, but previous negotiations with the CDU/CSU and SPD governments failed to produce results in 2021.
- International Children's Day, observed on June 1, is celebrated in several Eastern German states, including Thuringia, where World Children's Day (September 20) is also a statutory holiday.
- To amend the constitution, a two-thirds majority is required in both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, a challenging task given the current political landscape.
- Kati Engel, the children and youth policy spokesperson for the Left faction, advocated for a federal child guarantee to provide better support for children and families.
- Altering the Kindergarten Law in Thuringia's upcoming state parliament session was seen by Helmut Holter as the best present for International Children's Day, with ongoing negotiations between parties aiming to secure cooperation for passage.
- Despite not having a majority in the state parliament, the Left, SPD, and Greens rely on opposition cooperation to pass bills related to child poverty and education inequalities.
- The German Press Agency reported on Helmut Holter's call to modify the Basic Law, highlighting the importance of children's rights and the barriers faced in achieving constitutional change, as well as ongoing efforts at the state level to improve children's services and opportunities.
