According to the Council of Europe, Germany must do significantly more to combat poverty, housing shortages and the exclusion of disabled people. The high level of poverty and social disadvantage in Germany is disproportionate to the country’s wealth, according to a report by the Council of Europe that will be published in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Even though Berlin has taken welcome steps towards an accessible social system, further efforts are needed to combat growing inequality. In Germany, social rights are not always viewed as a legally binding obligation, but are dependent on resources. Poverty is a big problem, especially for children, seniors and people with disabilities.
The Council of Europe sees the poverty of children and senior citizens as a particular problem
Decisive steps are needed to break the cycle of child poverty, the report says. Children’s rights also need to be strengthened and coordinated with a central authority, because otherwise the needs of children and young people would be overlooked in political decisions – such as during the corona pandemic, according to the Council of Europe. In addition, action must be taken against the high poverty rate among senior citizens.
According to the information, only limited progress has been made overall in the rights of disabled people: inclusion and participation are not possible in many areas. The Council of Europe justifies this with a lack of political commitment, namely well-financed but exclusionary structures such as workshops for the disabled, special schools or residential homes for people with disabilities. This would make it difficult to achieve an independent life. Instead, integrative structures are needed.
When it comes to the lack of living space, the Council of Europe welcomed the government’s commitment to combating the crisis. However, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Mijatović, expressed concern about increasing homelessness in Germany. Unfortunately, the right to housing as a human right for everyone is only recognized to a limited extent. Germany must use all available means, including interventions in the housing market and changes to tenancy law.
The Equality Act also needs to be significantly improved in order to limit discrimination in various areas. Particular attention should therefore be paid to growing racism, which has the potential to undermine social cohesion and destabilize democratic institutions, says the Council of Europe report. This was founded in 1949 to protect democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe. It is independent of the European Union. It includes 46 European countries. The experts visited Germany in November last year.