Hesse: Integration law is intended to strengthen social participation

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Hesse wants to make the goals and principles of its integration and participation policy more binding by law.

Hesse: Integration law is intended to strengthen social participation

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Hesse wants to make the goals and principles of its integration and participation policy more binding by law. "In a society that is as dependent on immigration as ours, integration is a challenging ongoing task," said Minister of Social Affairs Kai Klose (Greens) on Friday in Wiesbaden. This applies equally to people who have immigrated and to the so-called receiving society.

According to the ministry, more than 2.2 million people with a history of migration live in Hesse. Since 2005, their number has grown by around 800,000 people - their share of the total population has risen from 24 to 36 percent.

With the new integration law, which is to be introduced in the state parliament next week, the state wants to improve equal opportunities for all people in Hesse, said Klose. With the draft, the country contributes to social cohesion. One of the aims is to increase the proportion of people with a migration background in such bodies, over which the state government has an influence.

In connection with the new integration and participation law, other laws are also to be changed. As an example, the minister mentioned that diversity-sensitive care should be anchored in the training goals of nursing care for the sick and the elderly. This means that when caring for people, their culture is taken into account.

The term "people with a migration background" includes all people with a migration background, but also people who are racially discriminated against, regardless of whether they have a migration background or experience disadvantages because of their appearance or their clothing, explained Klose.

The Hessian welfare associations criticized that the draft law did not bring any significant legal innovations. The Working Group of Foreigners Advisory Councils of Hesse explained: "One of the great weaknesses of the draft is that it does not live up to its mandate to enable political participation for all." A law to improve integration that does not name the political participation of migrants without a German passport as a separate topic does not deserve its name.