Children are not small grown-ups
"The standard rate for children of Hartz-IV families is explicitly too low", stated deputy chair of DIE LINKE Katja Kipping, looking toward tomorrow's coming negotiations before the federal social court to the topic of the child-aid rate in the Hartz-IV. She clarified:
DIE LINKE demands the immediate increase of the child-aid rate by an estimated figure of 300 Euro, and in a second step the implementation of an independent basic financial security plan for children.
When children are forced to live in poverty, it is an unparalleled scandal for a rich world. The standard aid rates for children of Hartz-IV families are explicitly too low. The standard aid rate for children is derived from the standard aid rate for adults, which is far too low as well.
It is not comprehensible as to why children and adolescents should be perceived as having less needs because they are younger. On the contrary: children's clothes are very often much more expensive than clothing for adults, and they must replaced more often. An adolescent's feet are continually growing, they require certain foods, and they require the extra cost of school supplies. Children are not small grown-ups. They are independent beings with independent demands. It would be welcomed if ruling on this basic principle would be rightfully accounted for.