VIENNA, Austria, OCT. 22, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The Austrian Association of Catholic Families (KFO) presented a list of requests in view of the forthcoming Nov. 24 parliamentary elections.
KFO is urging a policy based on three points: assistance to the family, acceptance of family life, and reinforcement and appreciation of the family.
«Assistance to families, irreplaceable for society, must be recognized with proper promotion,» the association said in a press statement Monday. Among its proposals is «old-age insurance» that offers women a three-year contribution to their pension plan for each child they have raised.
KFO also calls for child-maintenance subsidies, including for foreigners, regardless of the family income. «Family and professional work cannot be mutually exclusive,» the group said. «We must move from a family realm oriented to work, to a work realm oriented to the family.»
KFO proposes a «greater promotion of private help initiatives» and the introduction of «innovative models of working hours.» It also says women should get help re-entering the work world, after a period dedicated full time to raising their children.
In regard to immigrants, the association asks that Austria take in close relatives from their country of origin. People who come to the country to be reunited with their father, mother, or children, should not come under the established immigration quotas, the group asks. KFO also wants to maintain Sunday as a non-work day.
Lastly, the association wants parents to be guaranteed «adequate offers of formation, support and consultation,» because it is necessary that everyone recognize that «families are the desirable normal situation.»
