Social Scheme Law Changes Expected During This Year

Deputy Ombudsman Mehdi Geci told Radio Kosovo that in cases of families with social assistance, child rights violations are taking place, and for that reason the ombudsman has sent a report to the Kosovo Assembly on recommendations for changing and completing the Law on Social Assistance Scheme, which requires it to rise from five to eighteen years old.

“Because human rights standards are not being respected, in this case even of the European Convention on Children's Rights, the Ombudsman has recommended to Kosovo's Parliament the completion of the change of the law on social assistance schemes in Kosovo. The recommendation is the change among five-year-old children raised at eighteen years of age, because according to the laws in power and the European Convention, children are all considered until eighteen years of age”, Geci said.

He stressed that in this regard, only by the Parliamentary Commission for Labour and Social Goodness has so far been answered by the Parliamentary Commission, that the issue has been addressed to the Minister of Labour and Social Goodness, who has promised that during 2019 social scheme change will be met, including the recommendation of the ombudsman.

We have recommended the Kosovo Assembly, but from the assembly we have received answers only from the Commission for Labour and Social Health that this issue has been addressed to the Minister for Labour and Social Management. Where, in 2019, the reform change will be complete that the social scheme, which will include the Ombudsman's recommendation”, Geci added.

While about this process in an email response to Radio Kosovo, the Ministry of Labour and Social Management has said the report “was finalised in early 2019. Research on the Social Assistance scheme in Kosovo”, prepared by the World Bank. The assessment of the Social Assistance Centre and the options for reform, among which there is the elimination of the criteria that the family should have at least one child under the age of five (5).

Also, in January 2019 the Ministry of Social Assistance and Labour has established the working group for drafting the Declaration of Social Assistance in Kosovo, through which the Ministry through it is scheduled to reform the Social Assistance Centre, where it aims to increase the coverability of the poor with the Social Assistance Centre programme, eliminate categories criteria, improve measures for the selection of pro-poor social aid through the Poverty Test, measure or assess all revenues of the economy. So far, the first draft of the document concept has been worked, which will be finalised by the end of July 2019, where it will then proceed for public and preliminary consultation. The finalisation of the process for drafting the Document for the Social Assistance Scemat is meant to take place at the end of September 2019, while approval by the Government of Kosovo in December 2019.

According to data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management, in June 2019, there were 24 thousand and 767 families on the list of social aid beneficiaries, with 100,000 and 995 members, while the total amount paid was 2m and 634 thousand and 275 euros.