New principles of social support to poor families introduced under new bill in Armenia
01.08.2013,
15:28
Armenia’s ministry of labor and social affairs is holding public hearings on the bill “About social support” that proposes changes to the existing social support principles, head of the social support department of the ministry Astghik Minasyan said.
YEREVAN, August 1. /ARKA/. Armenia’s ministry of labor and social affairs is holding public hearings on the bill “About social support” that proposes changes to the existing social support principles, head of the social support department of the ministry Astghik Minasyan said.
The new law envisages not only financial, but also alternate support to socially vulnerable groups.
“Our aim is to provide self-actualization – education and job - opportunities to these people”, Minasyan told reporters.
She also said that social security benefits will remain in the country.
According to Minasyan, the main new thing in the bill is introduction of “one window” principle for all sorts of social services, as well as of “social worker” institution.
Under the new bill, not only financial, but also physiological support and education and job counselling will be provided to socially insecure families. According to Minasyan, these families should know that vocation schools are free in Armenia and their children can get education there.
“Unfortunately, our families are still led by a stereotype that one can survive without education”, she said.
Head of Sociometer center of sociological studies Aharon Adibekyan, in his turn, said he proposed to introduce special quotas for employers who can provide jobs to members of low-income families. The law should cover around 500,000 residents of Armenia, Adibekyan said.
“Today we have 180,000 disabled people, 120-140,000 official unemployed, lonely elders and orphans, and if the bill is passed, it will be the most humane one of all the laws ever passed”, Adibekyan said.
According to the sociologist, not only the ministry, but also NGOs and the civil society should be involved in implementation of the law.
Today there are 19 “one window” social support centers in Armenia, 5 of them in Yerevan. Another 37 similar centers will be opened in the next two-three years.
As of the end of June, around 114,000 families (418,000 people) were receiving social benefits and one-time social payments. The poverty level was about 36% in Armenia in 2011.–0—
