Level of criticism: Children's rights endangered by inaction in Schwerin!

Level of criticism: Children's rights endangered by inaction in Schwerin!

In the last few days, a storm of indignation has erupted around Interior Minister Christian Pegel. The reason: a controversial promotion within the state police that sparked heated discussions among the public. How Schwerin.news reports, Pegel's role is denounced mostly politically, while it is legally and administratively understandable. However, the accusation is not just about the promotion alone; Another controversial decision, which affects the Lankow district park in Schwerin, also raises serious legal questions.

The city council had decided to release the green area with a playground on Kieler Straße for development without children and young people being involved. This is in clear contradiction to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Child and Youth Participation Act, which requires such participation when young people are affected. Mayor Rico Badenschier has now admitted this and is now accused of violating the law by the German Children's Fund. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees the participation of children, is also being violated here.

Legal uncertainty required

The Interior Ministry's inaction in this case could have serious consequences. According to the critics, a decision that violates the stated requirements could be classified as illegal and this leads to a certain degree of legal uncertainty. Minister Pegel has so far taken no step to challenge the decision, which could potentially damage trust in democratic processes and the enforcement of children's rights.

The need to strengthen and anchor children's rights in the political debate is becoming increasingly urgent. This is also reflected in the challenges that many children in Germany face. The rights of children are clearly called for in a statement by the National Coalition Germany on the 2025 federal election. Particular attention is drawn to the psychosocial problems that affect almost one in three children. Many children feel great stress due to social isolation and worries about the future, especially in times of crisis.

Children's rights as a cross-sectional task

How kinderfreunde-kommunen.de emphasizes, the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a cross-sectional task that should be integrated into almost all local areas of action. There has been funding for this from the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth since 2017. The aim is to bring children's rights into the everyday work of the city administration, which is supported by various workshop offerings.

In these workshops, participants not only receive information about the content of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but also learn how they can take children's interests into account in administration. It is clear that it is time to develop realistic structures to promote young people's political participation and to put the rights of children and young people at the center of public discussion.

Instead of a sustainable promotion of children's rights and their legal assurance by politicians, the events in Schwerin represent a worrying signal. When decisions are made that are not in the best interests of the child, not only is there a lack of trust in politics, but it also becomes clear that the rights of children are all too often not taken seriously.