According to the last census, there are 112,830 families in Croatia with three or more children, with nearly 600,000 people living in such households, and the association "Family 3 plus", which advocates the creation of a more affirmative and prejudice-free environment for such families, was presented in Zagreb on Tuesday.
“After holding consultations among themselves, some of the parents from big families have concluded that without self-organisation, the interests of large families, of which there are over 112,000, will never come into public focus. This model exists across Europe and is extremely successful,” the association’s leader, Ivan Malbasic, said at a news conference in Zagreb.
Apart from providing advice on saving and raising the quality of life, the association wants to champion the interests of families with three or more children, by creating a more affirmative environment free of prejudices, they said.
The association will initiate research on various aspects of life in big families, organise workshops, and encourage companies to become involved in socially responsible business.
They have also proposed a family discount card for large families.
“The family discount card is a project recognised by a number of national and local companies who saw the potential for opening a market for more than 600,000 people who live in large families in Croatia today. Regular membership in the association, the families will be able to use special discounts and benefits with our partners. Direct savings will enable the family members to enjoy other products and activities, which ultimately increases the life standard of the 3plus family members,” Malbasic said.
Assistant Family Affairs Minister Ivica Bosnjak said that the ministry supported this initiative and that it considered parents to be important stakeholders in the creation of youth and family policies.
Croatia has 867,000 families with children, and of them, 435,000 are single-child families, 319,000 are families with two children, 87,000 are families with three children, and 18,000 have four children, Bosnjak said.
The European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) chairwoman, Maria Regina Maroncelli, said at the news conference that a third of families in Europe were childless.
Large families make up 13 percent of all families in Europe, and 30 percent of all children come from those families. Some countries think that migrations can help them solve demographic challenges, and in some countries depopulation really poses a great danger, she said, adding that associations of large families have a key role in presenting their needs and giving solutions to creating family-friendly environments.
Both Maroncelli and Malbasic said their mission was not to convince anyone they ought to have a large family, but instead, to make the lives of those who do make that choice easier.
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