The Deputy Protector of Citizens, Jelena Stojanović, stated today that the social rights of children include the right to various types of social support, but that it is necessary to further improve the protection of families and children in the area of social policy.
"Restriction of employment in centres for social work, non-establishment of all centres for family placement and adoption, absence of social-health care institutions and uneven financing of personal companion services, had negative consequences on the provision of services to families and children, and the Protector of Citizens will continue to insist on eliminating these shortcomings", Stojanović said at the forum "Let children's week last the whole year" in Ćuprija.
After the recommendation of the Protector of Citizens at the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs secured the consent of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the employment of 187 new professional workers, Stojanović reminded at the forum organized by the Association "Knights of Smiles" and the Association of Lawyers in Social Protection "Argument".
She also stated that in 2021, again on the basis of the opinion of the Protector of Citizens and after the decision of the Constitutional Court, amendments were made to the Law on Financial Support for Families, from which the provision was deleted that expressly prevented the simultaneous use of the right to compensation of wages during leave for the special care of a child and the right to an allowance for the assistance and care of another person.
Stojanović presented the work of the Summer School of the Protector of Citizens, which was held in Novi Sad in mid-September, where children from all over Serbia, including those from foster families, learned about the rights of children and persons with disabilities, the rights of the elderly, protection from all forms of violence and abuse, recognition and protection from human trafficking, as well as strengthening the participation of children in processes concerning their rights.