The association of families with three or more children is a member of the European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) which has issued a press release underscoring specific troubles large families are exposed to when many countries and areas are in lockdown, such as a lack of IT equipment for all children in a large family for distance learning, a ban on several persons riding in a vehicle and discrimination against large families.
"Episodes of intolerance have been recorded in Germany, where families have asked for a ‘certificate’” in order to be able to carry out their ‘extra-large’ shopping without being suspected of improper supply," reads the press release.
"In Spain, a father was fined for going with his son by car to do the shopping for his family of 8 children, two grandparents and great-grandmother (more than one person per car was prohibited).
"In Latvia, the private company Samsung had to intervene to allow part of children of large families to get a tablet for e-classes at home, helping Government to solve the problem for all schoolchildren; this problem was also raised by the Italian Association of Large Families and even in Estonia, which has a leading position in computerization. Many large families have only one computer or two, which is not sufficient, for example, for five children," reads the press release about various difficulties that the public is not aware of.
"These are just some examples of life for large families during COVID19 in Europe, where, according to Eurostat data, 1/3 of children live with at least two siblings," says the press release.
This confederation, which comprises 25 associations from 23 European countries, including the Croatian "Familiy3plus" association, called on the European Commission, Commissioner Ursula van der Leyen and Vice-President fro Demography Dubravka Suica "to speed up and deepen the discussion for 'the child guarantee'."
ELFAC urges member-states "to always take into account the number of family members in income support measures and to safeguard the right to education."