site.btaNational Network for Children Opposes Proposal to Abolish Demographic Policy, Children and Family Committee

The National Network for Children (NNC) sent on Wednesday a position statement to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Adoption of the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the 52nd National Assembly, expressing concern over a proposal to abolish the standing parliamentary Committee on Demographic Policy, Children and Family and transfer matters related to children and families to the Committee on Labour and Social Policy.

On Tuesday, Progressive Bulgaria proposed amendments to the National Assembly’s rules of procedure, which according to the party, are aimed at ensuring substantive parliamentary debate without abuse of time and parliamentary procedures. 

Child policies are not simply “social assistance”, the NNC stressed. Merging demographic issues and matters concerning children with labour and social policy is a conceptual mistake that takes Bulgaria years back. Children’s rights and support for families are not limited to social benefits and the labour market. They require a horizontal, interdepartmental approach covering healthcare, including infant mortality and maternal and child health, education, juvenile justice, security and prevention of violence. Subordinating the committee to a logic strictly linked to social policy will once again lead to the neglect of key sectoral reforms, the NNC said.

For years, the topic of children was assigned to the parliamentary Committee on Children, Youth And Sports, the organization said. This led to the disappearance of issues related to children and families from the National Assembly’s agenda and blocked important laws, as well as to the passage of lobbying texts harmful to children, for example in the Gambling Act. The establishment of a separate committee in 2024 was a historic achievement, providing for the first time a focus entirely on child welfare and demography. Returning to previous ineffective models would be a step back with which the 52nd National Assembly should not begin its work, the NNC said.

The organization also noted that the Committee on Labour and Social Policy has traditionally been one of the busiest in Parliament, dealing with major and strategic issues such as pension funds, the Labour Code, labour migration, people with disabilities, and others. Adding the heavy package of demographic problems and child protection guarantees that these issues will remain in the background and be considered only incidentally.

At a time when Bulgaria is in a severe demographic crisis, abolishing the only specialized parliamentary body that places children at the centre of legislation sends an extremely bad signal to society, the NNC position statement also says.

The systematic monitoring of state policies through the NNC’s annual independent report shows critically low scores in areas such as child healthcare, justice and protection, and clearly proves that institutional fragmentation is the main reason for the State’s failures in childcare, the organization added.

On Tuesday, the NNC also sent an open letter to the Government titled “Ten Urgent Tasks for the New Government for Children in Bulgaria”. It focuses on the most pressing problems and the necessary political action in key areas such as child healthcare, education, social support, protection from violence, child poverty, digital safety and juvenile justice.