ELC 2014 – “The Family in the 21st Century” in Prague, Czech Republic

F ollowing the In the opening remarks Juraj Lajda, secretary general successful of the Czech UPF reminded the importance of this conference on conference which follows the conference in May in Family and Society Prague and in Geneva in June 2014. in the year of the 20th The deputy speaker of anniversary of the Family the House Mr. Jan Day proclaimed by the Bartosek in his opening UN which was organized speech emphasized the together with the need to restore the German UPF chapter in family values in our May 2014 in the Czech society. Unfortunately Parliament, the Czech the family breakdown UPF chapter convened has direct consequences the European Leadership on the nation and Conference in the House of Parliament in Prague on spiritual health of the society. The marriage and the 14th October 2014. family are important for the future of the nation and The topic was „The Family in the 21st Century“. our children. In order to reach these values some The purpose of the conference was to give sacrifices are necessary. argumentation equipment to the parliamentarians, Mrs. Nina Nováková, MP make connections with the pro-family oriented NGOs welcomed the and other organizations and last not least to educate conference as the the civil society. We can say all these three goals instrument for exchange were in some way fulfilled. of different and Speakers included educators, researchers, diversified opinions and parliamentarians and activists from 10 countries all appreciated the fact that over the world - Austria, Holland, France, Germany, also representatives of Slovakia, Switzerland, the UK, Czech Republic, Korea other thought streams and the USA. are in the audience. She mentioned that when there is no or little communication between people of The conference was under auspices of 3 members of various approaches there is a danger of extremism. In the Czech Parliament - Mrs. Nina Nováková, Radka the European Union there is a polarization on the Maxová and Jiří Mihola and in cooperation with the issue of family. Every state which does not want free WFWP and Civic Institute. citizens is an enemy to a well-functioning family. Each

totality wanted to disintegrate family. There are still marry and have children. The natural desire of people who have will and enthusiasm to save the women to have children is suppressed because the family. We can witness there are still functioning society pushes them to make career and to maintain families which have a big potential. The healthy a family is very expensive. Family becomes a burden. politics and economy is built up on the families. If the For her family means warmth of home, father and families are strong also the state can be strong. mother and feeling of security. Dr. No-hi Pak The first session concentrated on the topic „Family representing the East and State Policy“. Mrs. Nina Nováková made a clear Europe UPF emphasized explanation to sexual education. Education is not the values of the mere handing over the knowledge and information founders of the UPF Rev. but at the same time a purposeful aspiration to shape Dr. Sun-myung Moon the character of the being. Education is not neutral. and Dr. Hak-ja Han which In the Czech Republic the sexual education is is a prosperous family. separated from the family education. The question is They sacrificed their who should do the sexual education – parents or whole life for this goal. school? The parents have the right to offer their Family is a place where a new life is created. When children moral and religious education. On the other human beings are born, they cannot function by hand there are 250 000 incomplete and divorced themselves, but are destined to live connected to the families in the Czech Republic. How can they educate network of love known as “the family”. In the family their children? That is why the school should be we can learn about love and relationships. It is a somehow involved in the sexual education. According school of love. Finally, the family is the basic unit that to Mrs. Novaková the sexual education should be a makes up a social community. We live together as part of the ethical education which includes the families to form even greater social structures education in its complexity. beyond the family level and thus protect one Antoine Renard, another. When the family, as the most basic form of president of the Catholic community, is healthy, then society too becomes Association of Family healthy and peace is realized. Organizations in Europe Mrs. Radka Maxová, MP made a clear distinction and chair of the between the family and Commission for Family, social policy. First, family Even Opportunities and is a natural and Minorities was the final fundamental unit of the speaker in the opening society. It is a unit not a group of individuals (more session. She appreciated than singles). For the future we need to have a goal that many people came but this goal is not seen and people are for this conference which individualistic. There are 1 million divorces in Europe means that they are concerned about the family every year and 50 million people live alone. Children issues. She said that it was the topic of the family and from divorced families have two-three times more protection of children why she joined the political problems than those who live with their parents. life. She mentioned the fact that the family is in crisis Family breakdown brings suffering, violence and all over the world. The young people hesitate to youth delinquency. The adults feel lonely and in

France 80-90% of the social assistance (some 6 bil. words protection of family means also a protection of Euro) are spent for the support of the broken children. There is a big problem of cohabitation. If we families. In business term the social aspect of the have a crisis of family there is a problem in the society means expenses whereas the taking care of a education. He suggested the balanced education with family means an investment for the future. Social moral and ethical values and especially the problems are problems but family issues are the cultivation of heart. Family breakdown diminishes the solution. educational contribution of the Family Government Next speaker in this and schools have to compensate: this are enormous session was the member social costs. of the European The second session Parliament from Slovakia focused on the „Role of Anna Záborská. There is the NGOs in no European family Strengthening the policy, she said. Family“. Richard Kane, Everything should be president of the Family decided by each nation. week project spoke According to the basic about his own rights of EU the right to experience. 20 years ago marry is according to the national laws of each state. he initiated a National EU suggests that the maternity and parental holiday Marriage Week project should be shortened. It denies the unsubstituality of which later widespread into 26 countries. The idea the family and next generation is not seen as the was to improve the relationships in a marriage and stability factor of the society. If we have a low do something practical. NGOs should have courage to birthrate new economic problems will emerge in the do something which can have impact on the society. next generation. Women are seen as manpower and This project could show why marriage is better than taking care of children is not valued and appreciated. cohabitation because it means a deeper internal and She emphasized that family of a man and woman is a external dedication whereas people who cohabitate guarantee for a sustainable society. A good example can easier finish their relationship. The NGOs should is the family business because it is a long term encourage the politicians to support the stable process seeking not for an immediate result but families and provide them with statistics and searching for both economic result and maintenance arguments. of the family. Family policy should penetrate to each Mrs. Marie Oujezdská, area of human life. director of the National Mr. Heiner Handschin, Family Centre in Czech permanent Republic spoke about representative to the UN their activities. These in Geneva mentioned in family centres are his speech that we initiators of the family should respect also the policy on practical level in rights of the children villages, towns and cities. which means to have a They advocate the policy good family. In other which appreciates good

functioning families. Often they have to justify their pointed out that the family is in crisis and there are 2 existence. People think that they deal with the free reasons for that: the gender ideology and family time activities or with socially nonfunctional families. policy. Gender ideology tries to redefine the family. The government should have apart from the social Accordingly the family is considered as a part of and employment policies also a family policy. We are politics not as a private sphere. The ideological roots missing the mission statement of a parent. Usually of this viewpoint are in the Frankfurt school. It says people have a very clear definition what is expected that we cannot know objectively the reality, it is a form them in their job but this is missing when they product of a man. The reality exists only in language. come home. The functioning family is a source of a If we change the language also the reality can be prosperous society. changed. Joseph Gundacker, Genderism and communism have the same starting president of the point. European Union has no family policy. Famileinforum, Austria Concerning family there are many interest groups emphasized the behind. The family in EU is viewed only from the importance to present a point of view of employment and according to that positive image of the the family policy is made. His suggestion is to pay a family life in the society. continuous attention to the family policy, tax The problem with reduction for good families and acknowledgement of European family policy is the taking care of family as a productive work and that it considers only the material wellbeing of family recognition of family as an autonomous unit. and pays almost no attention to the family The third session was relationships. The divorce statistics and the statistics dedicated to the topic. about violence and sexual abuse in families show „What Do Family Values only the number of divorces and abuses. They don’t Really mean in 2014“. tell us the real story. Most people still search for The session was opened stable relationships and the right partner, but they by Jeff Fontain, director don’t know how to build a trusting relationship and of the Schuman Centre create a stable family. Without parents, there would for European studies be no children; they are the bearer of human capital, from Holland. According the carrier of love, life and linage. But parents are to him the traditional considered as being not important anymore for the family disappeared from development of a child. Women are told today that most places. Instead we their job is more important. The solution is really to have simple parents, same sex couples etc. The make a family policy governments should try to prevent divorces because appreciating the families, it costs a lot of money for the whole society. Then he parents and children. asked why the politicians do not address this issue. Jan Gregor, vice- Because the next election will be in 4 years. The chairman of Young speaker claimed that sustainability means defending Christian Democrats in the motherhood. People want to defend Czech Republic and sustainability in the economic sense but not to representative of the defend the motherhood. According to him the young generation guarantee of true sustainability is the family.

Next speaker, Mrs. out of the house the whole day. Politics is not oriented Gabriele Kuby warned on the wishes of people. Women are considered as before the gender labor force. Mother’s role and taking care of children is ideology which is wide not valued. To take care of one child costs the state in spreading very rapidly. It is Germany 1200 euro. If the mother, on the other hand, a political strategy to is at home she will receive from the state only 150 euro. destroy the family. Man is It is important to change this trend and situation. The a raw material and can speaker also mentioned recent survey in Austria where decide about his design – the young women under 29 years old would prefer to this is the concept of stay home with their children if the husband could earn freedom. Legal enough money for the family. recognition of any sexuality means a change of Christian The topic of the last session was „The healthy families value system. The gender ideology destabilizes the as a foundation for a healthy and prosperous society“. differences between men and women. The loss of Carolyn Handschin, Director of the office of UN identity of an individual leads to the loss of the identity Relationship and president of WFWP mentioned that of family and nation. It separates sexuality from the many international mechanisms skip “Family”; jumping futility. This effort is based on the change of the from “Individual” to “Community”. A healthy family is a language and terminology. Most parents reject the family which contributes something to the society. The teaching of genderism. They want to have a family but family should guide the members to be such nobody teaches them how to make a good family, was contributors to the society. The speaker mentioned the the conclusion of the speaker. historic First Human Rights Council Resolution on Juraj Lajda UPF secretary “Protection of Family” passed on June 26, 2014. The general in Czech Republic result was reaffirming that the family is the natural and compared the value fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to system in the West and protection, reaffirming that States have the primary East after the Second responsibility to promote and protect the human rights World War In the 1960s and fundamental freedoms of all humans, recognizing there was a sexual that the family has the primary responsibility for the revolution in the West but nurturing and protection of children… (who) should the previous communist grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere countries in the East were of happiness, love and understanding, convinced that fighting for their freedom and democracy and were the family, as .. the natural environment for the growth trying to find the way how to overthrow the communist and well-being of all its members should be afforded regime which looked at that time impossible. There was the necessary protection and assistance so that it can a big hope after 1989 when communism collapsed and fully assume its responsibilities within the community people had hope that now a better society will come Matyáš Zrno, vice- because the doors to the West opened. To a great president of the Civic disappointment of many people among many good Institute in Prague things also the bad things came from the West and now outlined the situation how there is a crisis of the family which reminds the Marxist family is presented in the ideology with which we had made the tragic experience media.. In the Czech 50 years ago. Now both West and East are challenged media there are mostly to solve the problems of the family breakdown and young journalists and decline of moral values. It is important that the pro- editors who have no family organizations work together. family, no children and no Karl-Christian Hausmann, experiences with the vice-president of CDU education of children. They try to pick up sexy topics Stuttgart from Germany and a traditional family is a boring one. The society does spoke about the situation not have positive examples of good families that would in Germany. There are form the society. Alternative forms of coexistence are many families that must more attractive for the journalists. The speaker have a double income and introduced one example when in the Czech media a both parents have to very little attention was given to the big demonstration work. Children must go to for maintain the traditional family in Paris. the kindergarten and be

Final speakers was Mrs. are more likely to attend college, are physically and Lynn Walsh, director of emotionally healthier, are less likely to be physically or the Office for marriage sexually abused, less likely to use drugs or alcohol and and family UPF in New to commit delinquent behaviors, have a decreased risk York. She said that there is of divorcing when they get married, are less likely to little mention about become pregnant/impregnate someone as a teenager, marriage and family in the and are less likely to be raised in poverty. It is important UN. There is a great to clarify the purpose of marriage, family and life. emphasis on sexual After each session was a discussion. In the final activity w/o reference to discussion it has been recommended to create working family protecting and groups with experts and people who want to support empowering nontraditional sexual practices, rejection the family and are open for further cooperation. Many of bi-polar view of gender, gender roles, what’s best for people from the audience showed an active interest children and experimenting with new sexual and how to improve the situation and what can be done, childrearing approaches. Finally we are coming to especially how to change the image of a family in the redefining love, sex, marriage and being human. media or how to change the gender politics to family Marriage is far more than a piece of paper, she politics. emphasized. Children raised in intact married families