Emergence of a National Consultation for Child Protection

In France, nearly 3 million children live below the poverty line : that’s more than one in five children who are considered poor. These figures are painful and often still unknown, but they reflect a reality that cannot be ignored. This is why Break Poverty is committed to seeking solutions and protecting children.

Behind these 3 million children, there are millions of human tragedies. A poor child in France is often destined to become a poor adult. On average, it takes six generations in our country for a descendant of a poor family to reach the median income. What could be a worse injustice for a child than being condemned to poverty?

The health crisis, particularly the lockdown, has worsened the situation for poor children, and it is urgent that we unite our efforts and act collectively to fight this scourge: “How can we protect children from all forms of violence, especially poverty?”

To answer this question and with the goal of mobilizing civil society in the fight against violence towards children, the citizen platform Make.org announced the launch of the Grande Cause in March 2020, with the support of Mr. Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State to the Minister of Solidarity and Health in charge of child protection (click here to watch the Secretary of State’s speech), and in partnership with the Kering Foundation, La Banque Postale, Mediatransports, Bayard Jeunesse, and a range of associations and media outlets.

In a press release dated November 19, 2019, the Secretary of State reiterated France’s commitment to “ensure that children receive the protection and care necessary for their well-being,” in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the state has signed.

The results of these consultations will help bring forward solutions through these Grandes Causes.

Shared convictions, stronger mobilization

The Break Poverty foundation aims to identify the causes of poverty to understand and combat the forms of inequality that affect youth, especially children: every child deserves to have the same opportunities for success.

“The mobilization of the entire society (…) will enable us to find an innovative, concrete, and more necessary than ever democratic mode of expression,” declared Adrien Taquet during the announcement of the launch of the Grande Cause. It is because we share these convictions that we are participating in this large coalition, bringing together hundreds of thousands of citizens, associations, and businesses around a 3-year program to act concretely, with a real national impact, on a subject of general interest.

Break Poverty has submitted several proposals, such as the need to develop mentorship programs to support young people throughout their journey, to assist disadvantaged children throughout their education, and to create a daycare spot for every child from a single-parent family. These proposals aim to fight together against social determinism and the inequalities of opportunity that our young people face, and many of them have received strong support from early voters, climbing to the top of the voting list.

Today, we call on you, citizens, to maintain this commitment that is close to our hearts, more than that, it drives our shared ambitions: we must continue to mobilize so that these ideas come to fruition, because nothing can be achieved without your massive participation.

Everyone has a role to play so that together, we can make a difference : you can, starting now and until November 9, 2020, visit the voting platform to choose the proposals that you consider most urgent.

Photo credit: Mr.Exen / Shutterstock.