Deutsche Kinderhilfe

Deutsche Kinderhilfe (DKH, formerly Deutsche Kinderhilfe Direkt) is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Berlin, Germany. According to its own statements, it supports projects nationwide for children and families in need. The organisation describes itself as an independent voice for children, working on child protection, children's rights and family support, and it presents itself publicly under the label "Ständige Kindervertretung" (standing representation of children). The association engages in lobbying for children, including expert accompaniment of legislative processes, and in project work. It addresses topics that are prominent in public debate, such as child abuse and neglect. It also approaches prominent politicians to take on patronage or sponsorship of smaller projects and charity events. Its stated goals — such as mandatory nutrition courses against obesity and forced home visits by youth welfare offices against neglect — reflect a line of policy favouring a strong hand of the state, and the association supports positions of the CDU. It is active in an advisory capacity for the federal executive board of the CDU and for the round table of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. The association was founded in January 2000 in Ostwestfalen (East Westphalia). It once had eight regional associations in Berlin-Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, which were dissolved over the course of 2010 and 2011. In 2006 the North Rhine-Westphalia regional association came under criticism and, following a review under fundraising law in Rhineland-Palatinate, gave up its charitable status and amended its statutes. The non-charitable NRW regional association is, according to its own statements, responsible for public relations and campaigns of Deutsche Kinderhilfe. For 2007 the federal association reported income of one million euros; for 2008, according to the published balance sheet, just under 800,000 euros. Project work has received awards including the "Freiheit und Verantwortung" prize of the initiative of the same name for the Kidsklinik project, "Deutschland – Land der Ideen" for KidSwing, and the Familienherz of BKK-VBU, also for the early support programme. The association has been involved in several controversies. In June 2008 the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat) excluded it, after criticism of its handling of donations as intransparent. During the 2009 debate on the planned access-blocking law (Zugangserschwerungsgesetz), the association actively supported government plans to oblige internet service providers to block child-pornography websites based on a secret list compiled by the Federal Criminal Police Office; it was accused by civil-rights organisations such as the Chaos Computer Club and FoeBuD, as well as the child-protection organisation CareChild, of populist politics and manipulative opinion polling. In 2012 the association initiated a petition, supported by MOGiS e.V., the professional association of paediatricians, Terre des Femmes, the Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter and the Neue Richtervereinigung, for a two-year moratorium in the circumcision debate. Today the association continues to publish online guides and thematic magazines, including on protecting children from cybergrooming and on integration and inclusion, and maintains a "Zahlen, Daten, Fakten" section with annually updated indicators on child protection, education and child poverty.

Deutsche Kinderhilfe was founded in January 2000 in Ostwestfalen (East Westphalia) as a registered association. It later operated under the name Deutsche Kinderhilfe Direkt before adopting the current name Deutsche Kinderhilfe. At its peak it maintained eight regional associations in Berlin-Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria; these were dissolved over the course of 2010 and 2011. In 2006 the North Rhine-Westphalia regional association came under criticism and, following a review under fundraising law in Rhineland-Palatinate, gave up its charitable status and amended its statutes. The non-charitable NRW regional association is, according to its own statements, responsible for public relations and campaigns of Deutsche Kinderhilfe. For 2007 the federal association reported income of one million euros; for 2008, according to the published balance sheet, just under 800,000 euros. In June 2008 the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat) excluded the association, after its handling of donations had been criticised as intransparent. A legal expert quoted by Die Welt had alleged that the association was founded for profit; he retracted these allegations after receiving a consultancy mandate from Deutsche Kinderhilfe. The association rejected criticism of its economic structures and stated that immense public pressure led to no change in its structures. The association gained significant media attention during the controversial debate over the planned Zugangserschwerungsgesetz (access-blocking law) in 2009. It actively supported government plans to oblige internet service providers to block child-pornography websites based on a secret list compiled by the Federal Criminal Police Office. Civil-rights organisations such as the Chaos Computer Club and FoeBuD, as well as the child-protection organisation CareChild, accused Deutsche Kinderhilfe of populist politics and manipulative opinion polling. Two surveys were commissioned from Infratest dimap; in an interview in Die Zeit, Infratest Dimap's managing director Richard Hilmer stated that no contradiction was apparent. Critics of internet censorship measures also felt defamed by a signature campaign initiated by Deutsche Kinderhilfe in response to a successful online petition against the law. In May, the content of Deutsche Kinderhilfe's homepage was replaced by unknown persons with a text rejecting the planned blocking of websites. According to the association, the German Medical Assembly (Deutscher Ärztetag) passed a resolution on 22 May 2009 supporting the legislative initiative to combat child pornography in communication networks; although the reasoning of the motion by four delegates suggests Deutsche Kinderhilfe as the author, the motion contains no reference to the association. In 2012 the association initiated a petition, supported by MOGiS e.V. – Eine Stimme für Betroffene, the professional association of paediatricians (Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendärzte), Terre des Femmes, the Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter and the Neue Richtervereinigung, for a two-year moratorium in the circumcision debate, in response to the announcement by the federal government (Merkel II cabinet) to enact a law in autumn 2012 that would exempt religiously motivated circumcision from punishment. The law has been in force as § 1631d BGB since 28 December 2012. Project work has received awards including the "Freiheit und Verantwortung" prize of the initiative of the same name for the Kidsklinik project, "Deutschland – Land der Ideen" for KidSwing, and the Familienherz of BKK-VBU, also for the early support programme. Today the association continues to operate under the public label "Ständige Kindervertretung" and publishes online guides and thematic magazines, including on protecting children from cybergrooming and on integration and inclusion, and maintains a "Zahlen, Daten, Fakten" section with annually updated indicators on child protection, education and child poverty.

• 2012

  Initiated a petition for a two-year moratorium in the circumcision debate; § 1631d BGB entered into force on 28 December.

• 2011

  Remaining regional associations dissolved.

• 2010

  Regional associations began to be dissolved.

• 2009

  Active support for the planned Zugangserschwerungsgesetz; homepage defaced in May; German Medical Assembly passed a supporting resolution on 22 May.

• 2008

  Published balance sheet showed just under 800,000 euros in income; in June the German Donations Council excluded the association.

• 2007

  Federal association reported income of one million euros.

• 2006

  North Rhine-Westphalia regional association came under criticism and gave up its charitable status after a fundraising-law review in Rhineland-Palatinate.

• 2000

  Founded in January 2000 in Ostwestfalen as a registered association.

Non-profit advocacy organisation positioning itself as an independent voice for children's rights, child protection and family support in Germany.

• Ständige Kindervertretung

  Public-facing label under which the association presents its advocacy work.

• Online guide on cybergrooming prevention

  Online guide informing parents and educational professionals about warning signs and perpetrator strategies.

• Thematic magazine Integration & Inclusion 2026

  Free online magazine on belonging, fair opportunities and social participation for all children.

• Zahlen, Daten, Fakten

  Annually updated compact overview of indicators on child protection, education and child poverty.

1. 1Kindervertretung-deutsche-Kinderhilfe • Die ständige Kindervertretung der Deutschen Kinderhilfe e.V.kindervertretung.de
2. 2Wikidata: German children's aidwikidata.org
3. 3Wikipedia (de): Deutsche Kinderhilfede.wikipedia.org