During the preparations for the ESF parents with children were marginalised. Important preparatory meetings did not provide any facilities for children, a space in which children could play or sleep, or where breastfeeding mothers could withdraw with theirs babies.
At the official ESF we were further astonished to find that a space for children to sleep or to play was not available. Where should a parent go with a three-year-old? In a 2 hour seminar should they sit in the first row? At the information desk we had asked where a quiet corner was to feed our children, we were told to go to the media-centre. Is this a place for kids??! This is appalling when a movement dresses itself with the words that 'another world is possible'! Mothers and fathers are already marginalised in capitalist society. Do we want another world where mothers and fathers are excluded?
At least at the autonomous spaces occurring alongside the ESF some mums and dads had the opportunity to organise a space, though it was simply a room aside from the whole event without any mixing with other activists or visitors. This just reflected the whole set-up of the kids-space. It was organised by parents and single parents, and it was for parents and single parents only.
This implies that the kids-space was treated by the movement as a subject that solely mothers and fathers should deal with. But this should not be! We ended up babysitting for each other, whereas babysitting should be everyone's responsibility if parents, especially single parents, are to contribute.
As babies need one-to-one supervision, or at most one adult looking after two, perhaps three children, we were not able to see much of the programme. Parents did not have the luxury of chatting in breaks since we had to rush back to the kids-space so another parent wanting to go to a seminar could do so. In other words, we were only able to attend two or three workshops or seminars during the whole ESF.
Some parents, or single parents, also questioned if it was worth making their children spend a whole day in a closed space only for 1 or a maximum 2 hours of meetings. We were hoping once the a-ESF started that more parents would join, but this was not the case, as many of them just simply did not know.
We learnt from feminists from the 1970s who attended the a-ESF and saw the kids-space, that the structure of this space would have been an insult to the movement at that time. It led to a discussion between us and various feminists who explained that in the 1970s childcare was dealt with as an issue that should be taken on board by the whole movement, and not just by the parents. This would obviously allow the parents, especially single parents, to participate more fully in the event.
The movement has in this respect sadly rolled back, and not learnt and evolved from the achievements of our sisters and brothers (our parents) during the 1970s, where women were a substantial part of this movement. If we want to encourage the involvement of mothers and fathers that are struggling on the edge between integration and marginalisation, then the movement has to take the issues of childcare, amongst other gender issues, a great deal more seriously.
Recommendations for the following ESF:
1) Cultural groups or talented people could entertain children.
2) Activists from the movement could help in babysitting.
3) Discussion rounds held in the Kids space, related to the upbringing of children such as primary education, vaccination programmes or the privatisation of kindergartens. These workshops are aimed at everybody.
4) Facilitators should announce that a Kids-Space is available.
Dagmar Diesner