Petra Ladenburger, the Child Protection Officer for North Rhine-Westphalia, has called on the black-green state government to lobby in Berlin against the planned cuts to the maintenance allowance (Unterhaltsvorschuss). According to her statement to the “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung”, Ladenburger emphasized that “If politicians want to save money or put pressure on non-compliant parents, adolescents must not be the ones to suffer.” She insists that the state government must exert pressure on the federal government to withdraw the proposed reductions.
Ladenburger argues that cutting these benefits will disproportionately affect those whose parents either do not work or earn very little. She noted, “They are already growing up in constant shame because they don’t have something or can’t participate.”
As of the latest figures, more than 50,000 applications for the maintenance allowance have been approved solely in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Cologne-based lawyer, who was appointed the first independent state officer for child protection and children’s rights by the black-green coalition in February, continues to advocate for these protections.
