Protecting children from pornography should be a key objective of the European Parliament, a leading Catholic family association said ahead of the June 6-9 EU elections. This was reported by the American Catholic portal Crux on June 6.
The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) says there are five key issues facing the European Parliament, the EU’s only popularly elected body.
The Catholic group says there is broad support for digital safety, especially for children, across the political spectrum and has called on candidates to support and promote the European Parliament’s campaign to highlight the risks of children being exposed to pornography.
“We invite candidates to provide a decisive response to this threat that damages mental health, worsens addictions and increases sexual violence.”said the president of FAFCE, Vincenzo Bassi.
“Europe can take the moral and legal lead to protect minors online by requiring effective age verification, default parental controls and implementing current CSAM rules. “Pornography is a threat to public health and we must work to completely ban this destructive industry in Europe.”he said.
FAFCE also called for support for the re-election of a European Commissioner to continue the work of the current Vice-President Commissioner for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šujca, in charge of addressing the demographic transition.
“Although these elections will be held in early summer, we are entering a demographic winter.””Bassi joked.
“The birth rate has plummeted and a pandemic of loneliness has spread across the continent. “We need our European institutions to dedicate resources and human capital to understanding its root causes and investing in the continent’s demographic spring.”he continued.
“Without intergenerational solidarity, we will not be able to begin to solve the many problems we face. This requires that priority be given to families and children, without whom there is no future.”– he said.
The FAFCE also encouraged candidates to make work “work for families”, noting that improving living conditions and employment is now the responsibility of the EU.
“It is possible to create a Europe in which workers are productive and can spend valuable time with our families. “We call on policymakers to reconsider the length of leave, especially parental leave, to make extensions and flexibility possible.”Bassi explained.
“Mothers and fathers need a balance between work and family life for the sake of their children, themselves and society as a whole. “Pregnant mothers, in particular, should be given legal protection and the opportunity to put their creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as motherhood, into practice.”he continued.
He added that the “right to disconnect” should also be promoted by establishing Sunday as a general day of rest.
FAFCE also said that the family is “an antidote to a culture of waste and unbridled consumption,” and explained that families can be empowered to participate in environmental education and sustainable living.
“The problem is not children, but consumerism. Without humans there is no ecology; There is no person without family. Consequently, there will be no ecology without families and communities of families at the center of the transition period.”“Bassi summarized.
Bussey said policies that prioritize family are also policies that prioritize the common good.
“The family, as a basic unit of society, is in itself a service to the common good. When parents achieve a healthy work-life balance, children can have access to education and housing when they grow up, and when seniors are valued and cared for, it all serves the greater good.”He explained.
“Across Europe we are seeing how valuable family connections are to thriving communities, especially now as we experience a pandemic of loneliness. By supporting and investing in them, we can build the intergenerational solidarity on which our future depends. “The family is not an expense, but the best possible investment.” – stated the president of the FAFCE.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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