Social benefits for children to be established under law in Moldova

Chisinau, 7 December /MOLDPRES/ - The government today approved a draft law on social benefits for children, aimed at providing a minimum financial backing on behalf of the state for the birth and care of the child. The one-off child-birth allowance will be increased by 2,200 lei in the case of the first child, and respectively, by 1,900 lei, at the birth of the next children, up to 5,300 lei.

The legislative act sets also the social benefits for supporting adopted children, children who temporarily remained without parental protection and children who remained without parental protection, including in order to continue education. The children citizens of Moldova with residence in the country, the children whose status of stateless persons was recognized and the foreign children with residence in Moldova can enjoy social benefits.     

The draft law on social benefits for children ensures the legal basis for establishing and paying these benefits, which are presently set and paid based on government’s normative acts. Data by the Institute of Legal and Political Researches at the Moldovan Academy of Sciences (ASM) shows that the spending for purchasing the minimum set of assets at child birth is 5,300 lei.

At the same time, the increase in the one-off child-birth allowance fits into the state’s demographic policy, one of the principal goals of which is to increase the birth rate. According to data by the Health Ministry, the number of children born alive dropped from 48,012 in 2009 to 38,592 in 2015.    

Also, the draft law provides for the increase in the period of offering the monthly allowance for maintaining the child, in case of non-insured persons, till the child turns two years. The draft proposes a new type of benefit, the monthly allowance of support for bringing up children till the age of 3 years and of twin children or more children born from a single pregnancy. One thousand children will annually benefit from a monthly allowance worth 270 lei.    

The Labour Ministry also said that the children who have temporarily remained without parental protection, who presently enjoy no support on behalf of the state, a period which can last two years, would benefit from needed support starting the moment of separation from the parents.    

The draft law will be submitted to parliament for consideration and adoption.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)