When Children’s Rights Become Political: The Reality from Hungary

In this blog, Szilvia Gyurkó from Eurochild Hungarian member, Hintalovon, explains what it means to defend children’s rights when the space for independent action is shrinking. Hintalovon has faced several attacks for its work by anti-rights movements and the national government.

I write this as a representative of an independent children’s rights organisation in Hungary that has been the target of repeated governmental and pro-government attacks. This context inevitably shapes my perspective and it is important to acknowledge that openly.

Hungary offers a striking example of how child protection and children’s rights can become absorbed into political narratives. When this happens, independent organisations that raise concerns about systemic failures, including abuse in state institutions, are often met not with reform, but with reputational attacks.

In the past years, our organisation initiated five civil court procedures in response to propaganda articles targeting our work. In each case, the media outlets usually chose not to defend their claims in court, instead paying the penalties ordered by the judge. The objective was not to engage in a factual debate, but to create pressure and drain resources. This contributes to a climate of hostility that narrows civic space and makes independent child rights advocacy increasingly difficult.

At the same time, the structural challenges facing children remain profound. Although official data show a decrease in child poverty to 21.1%, this still represents 359,000 children living at risk. The likelihood of social exclusion rises to nearly 68% among children whose parents have limited education. Meanwhile, the universal family allowance has not increased since 2008, widening inequalities between families.

Public services are under significant strain. For instance, Hungary has only 50–60 practising child psychiatrists nationwide, even as requests for support related to self-harm and suicidal thoughts are growing. The education system is facing an estimated shortage of 16,000 teachers. For Roma children and other marginalised groups, these gaps often translate into segregation and delayed access to protection. Despite these realities, legislative responses remain largely reactive. Hungary lacks a comprehensive national child rights strategy to provide long-term direction and coherence.

If we are serious about protecting children, independent civil society must be recognised as a partner rather than treated as an adversary. Safeguarding children’s rights requires protecting those who speak up for them and, most importantly, creating meaningful and systematic opportunities for children themselves to be heard.

Further Information:

• Read about Eurochild's campaign Fighting Anti-Rights Movements
• Listen to theEurochild podcast episodes on the attacks on civil society and on shrinking funds for NGOs.