"Lenders, you have forgotten the human rights in your programs..."

A harsh study coinciding with the death of the 13-year-old girl in Thessaloniki because she wanted to warm herself, serves as a reminder that on the altar of austerity the victims are the people and especially young children.
 
With a weighty study, which will be published today, European Council Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, blames many of the European governments that imposed austerity measures for "having forgotten their obligations to respect human rights and in particular the protection of social and economic rights of the most vulnerable groups of the population."
 
He also criticizes the behavior of international lenders “as in many of the aid programs they have not included the issues of human rights protection.”
 
The research paper of the Commissioner points out, inter alia, that "national decisions on austerity measures and international bailouts are lacking transparency, public participation and democratic accountability. In some cases, onerous conditions prevented governments to invest in key programs of social protection, health and education."
 
"When the EU was taking decisions on economic governance in the Member-States and the troika laid down conditions for bailouts and loan agreements they should have thought more about the impact of austerity measures on human rights," Muiznieks says.
 
"Youth unemployment in Europe has reached record levels, while millions of families are suffering the consequences of the cuts to children's aids and family benefits, health care and education. The number of children who drop out of school to support their families is growing, creating the conditions for recurrence of exploitative child labour."
 

Governments should make it a priority to reduce youth unemployment and defend the social protection of long-term unemployed during the crisis, Muiznieks concludes.