In 2019, the poverty risk rate was 24,5 percent, that is, every fourth resident of Montenegro was poor. Almost 40 percent of children were at risk of poverty, most of them from families with a lower level of education, which indicates the importance education of children. Based on our work with the vulnerable, we claim that the situation last year and this year is drastically worse.
This was said by the president of the Food Bank Foundation, Marina Medojević, on the occasion of October 17, the International Day against Poverty
"The United Nations has set a goal to end world hunger by 2030. Under the current circumstances, due to the corona crisis that has collapsed the economy and further increased poverty, this goal will be difficult to achieve. Many have lost their jobs and at the same time prices are rising, especially of foodstuffs", said Medojević and pointed out that during the pandemic, the wealth of slightly more than two thousand billionaires in the world reached a record value, exceeding 10 thousand billion dollars.
On the other hand, he says, the coronavirus crisis has pushed about one hundred million people into extreme poverty, increasing concerns about deepening economic inequalities.
Medojević points out that on the eve of the International Day against Poverty in Montenegro, we do not have new official data on the number of poor people.
"We claim, based on our work with the vulnerable, that the situation last year and this year is drastically worse. Since the beginning of the pandemic, officially around 50.000 workers have been fired, how many have just been fired of those who worked informally, who did not have insurance, so we cannot track termination of employment," she said.
He states that employees, if they are not lucky enough to work in state bodies, usually have a salary of 250 to 350 euros.
"The average salary of 530 euros should logically be received by the largest number of employees, where almost 70 percent of them do not have it. Around 130.000 pensioners receive the lowest pension of 145,77 euros. The average pension is 293 euros and our pensioners, unfortunately, are among the most vulnerable in Europe. Almost as a rule, they leave half of their earnings in the pharmacy. Until the next pension, they remain, as they say, "on water and bare bread", says Medojević
She also referred to the unemployed, whose number is unknown and, as she believes, should be available because it is valuable information, in order to plan an effective action to reduce unemployment and poverty.
"We don't know how many families we have where no family member is employed, and it is a very important figure because it directly points to poverty. The state should work to ensure that at least one member of such a family gets a job. We don't know how many are those who, due to strict rules, receiving social assistance, they cannot use it, and those who do not have the opportunity to feed themselves, pay electricity, rent," adds Medojević.
He points out that, recognizing the urgent need to protect the most vulnerable categories, during the duration of this crisis, practically all countries of the world introduced new social protection measures, while there are none in our country.
"We still have the same ones, if we do not count the child benefit, which did not bring much benefit to those who really live in poverty. The social card is the answer to many questions. It must recognize all those who live in poverty, and the state must provide them with support from the system. is her task number 1. Our social assistance is so small that those vulnerable to it cannot even pay the rent. We did nothing to increase the number of social housing and thus make life easier for the most vulnerable, while there was enough money for officials. In Montenegro we know, there are more apartments than families, and there are so many tenants, which shows that the stratification of society is a measure," Medojević said.
In order to prevent the increase in child poverty, UNICEF recommends that the Government of Montenegro expand the coverage of social assistance programs for families and children.
"They recognize that single-parent families are particularly hard hit by poverty, and the help of the system is necessary. The most exposed to the risk of poverty are the unemployed, and we currently have them, officially around 54, while the lowest risk rate is found among the employed, whose number is decreasing ."
The food bank, as it states, advocates for a children's card, which would include numerous discounts for buying shoes, clothes, food, transportation, textbooks, school supplies, reimbursement of housing costs, heating...
"The government must provide basic services, enough food, housing, heating and basic social services for the most vulnerable. The reform of the social protection system and the establishment of various support services for citizens is inevitable. The existence of poverty is a violation of human rights, Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, UN "recommends the integration of international human rights norms into strategies for eradicating poverty. Poverty is the greatest possible injustice that will not end until the causes are eradicated. We must urgently start drafting the Strategy for the fight against poverty and food waste. There is no time for delay," Medojević concluded.
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