International Day of Families 2017
The
International Day of Families is held on 15 May every year. This year the
United Nations has decided to focus on parents as the primary educators of
their children. The message of the year does not only acknowledge parents as
educators and emphasise the crucial role parents play in the education of their
children, but also calls the attention of policy makers to the importance of
empowering parents as well as offering them conditions for balancing work and
family life. The European Parents’ Association has been advocating exactly for
this for more than 30 years and this was also why we fostered the establishment
of the International Parents Network, a global network of people – parents and
non-parents alike – who wish to act for parents and with parents to ensure
parents’ rights for the best interest of the child. Parent activist all over
the world warmly welcome the official message of the UN highlighting the “vital role of
parents in safeguarding good quality education starting with early childhood
and extending throughout their children’s and grandchildren’s lifespan”.
