Poverty level still high, over 25 thousand social families in Kosovo

Although Kosovo authorities years ago have pledged that they will meet the Millennium Development Targets, which aims to significantly reduce poverty and increase the level of education, equality and health, yet the number of households receiving social from the state remains high.

According to official data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management this year, there are 25 thousand and 250 families that are part of the Social Assistance Centre (SNS).

“In the Social Assistance Centre (SNS) are 25,259- households profitable with 103.094 members of the family, while the amount of tools processed for paying these families is 2,686,217.50 euros. For every child aged 0-18 every family in the SNS gets an additional 5.00 euros a month, for example. A four-member family with two members under the age of 18, the monthly amount this family benefits is: 107.50 euros)”, the head of the Public Communication Division of Musa Demiri says in a response to the Indexline.

Compared to last September, this year there are 213 fewer households receiving social.

After comparing SNS data to September 2018, with those of the same month of the preliminary year, it turns out this year that we have a 213 fewer families in the SNS or minus 996 family members compared to the same period last year”, Demiri stressed.

And sociologist Leutrim Sahiti for Indexline has said that the large number of families receiving social assistance is high unemployment indicators in Kosovo.

“So these families, according to official statistics, have failed to get out of their economic situation and each year have been a burden to the Kosovo budget. The large number of families receiving social assistance is a high unemployment indicator in the country. Social assistance has had to be guided to support families so that they could be employed after some time and be able to live an active”, Sahiti said.

On the other hand, sociologist Sahiti has added that social assistance policies have left many people capable of work in inactivity.

He has stressed, however, that society and business must fight prejudice and accept even those with limited abilities.

Social assistance policies, many families, and skilled employees have left them in constant inactivity. Social aid families, excluding those with no working members, had to be more supportive of employment, other forms of training, so that they could generate income for their families. Thus their dignity would be preserved, and they would not feel themselves a burden to the State. In the end, society, private businesses must fight prejudices and accept disabled people to work, and thus those who can and wish to be employed to escape from social assistance” have said among other things Sahiti.

As for the Ministry's policies, for families under serious economic conditions, without any employees, Sahiti thinks the ministry should reconsider its policies, because this policy of supporting families in need has not yielded the right result.

In contrast, in 2017 there were 26 thousand and 375 beneficial social families, and in 2016, 26 thousand and 302 families.

We recall that in 2010 there were over 36 families with social assistance.

According to legal and underground acts, to realise the right to social assistance, all family members must be citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, except for foreign citizens who:

1. Have they any permission to stay behind?
2. B) People in the quality of asylum seekers,
3. c) people in refugee quality and
4. d) people who enjoy temporary and complementary protection

In addition to these basic criteria, households (two categories I and II) should not own more 0.5 hectares of land, financial revenues and goods, as defined by legal and underground acts regulating the Social Assistance Scema.