Assistance to economically disadvantaged children doubles
Annually 145 million GEL (about $45mln/€38mln) will be allocated from the budget to finance the programme. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Assistance for economically disadvantaged children has increased to 100 GEL (about $31/€26) per month starting today, instead of the current rate of 50 GEL (about $15/€13), Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s press office announced.
In addition, the number of children to receive social assistance has increased by 76,000, from 139,000 to 215,000.
The Social Service Agency assesses economically disadvantaged families by a point system, according to which they receive state aid. The increase in beneficiaries is the result of the point limit for aid for children being raised from 100,000 points to 120,000.
Annually 145 million GEL (about $45mln/€38mln) will be allocated from the budget to finance the programme.
Nearly 9,200 children between 6-16 years old are out of school in Georgia, reports local media outlet Interpressnews (IPN).
The Georgian public defender and UNICEF Georgia have stated on the International Children’s Day today that the coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated the situation of children’s rights in Georgia. Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria has stated that the risks of child abuse, poverty, violations of the rights to healthcare and education have increased amid the pandemic.
The European Union and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have launched a three-year joint project to support the protection of children’s rights in Georgia.
The government of Georgia's financial assistance significantly has contributed to poverty alleviation, says a microsimulation model report on the pandemic’s effect on the population and child poverty presented by UNICEF and the Georgian government today.