The government has established (so it tells us) a welfare state! – Article by Eleni Mavrou, AKEL Political Bureau member

 

 

Sunday 18 September 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

“We have established a welfare state”, President Anastasiades told us a few days ago, outlining the work done over ten years by his government in the field of social welfare pointing out that several millions have been allocated here and there.

I am sure that some of this does apply. After all, they have been in government for ten long years. However, there is a long way to go from this “something” to all the commotion we have heard!

We could talk about the homeless (read the press report written by Christos Charalambous in today’s edition of our newspaper “Haravgi”). We could also talk about the pensioners, single parents and the unemployed. We could cite figures from the state’s own statistical services that highlight a bleak picture.

But the case of 7-year-old Constantinos is enough.

Because a state that cannot take care of a small child with disabilities does not deserve to be called a “welfare state”.

Constantinos is out of school as are other children too. And this year, and last year, and previous years… Because the state…cannot afford to provide him with an assistant. The state puts a cap on the needs of the most vulnerable sections among us.

Assistants take care of two and three fully dependent children. The number of children in a classroom attended by children with disabilities has increased from 16 to 25. “We are talking about a “special school” child without means of transport. No assistants at school for a child with medical problems. Children wondering why they are not yet in class with their classmates. Parents are in despair. Assistants are suddenly found unemployed.

And the relevant Minister in charge recommends patience! And that “any” additional needs are recorded by the state! Other than that, the Minister insists that “schools are fully staffed, both in terms of personnel, books and logistics”.

The Parliamentary Committee on Education – which before the summer pledged that if the problem with the children’s assistants was not solved at least then it would not examine Ministry of Education issues – continues as if nothing is happening.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (which the Republic of Cyprus has ratified) stresses that “persons with disabilities have the right of access to an inclusive, quality and free education, on an equal basis with others, in the communities in which they live” and points out the obligation of states to provide them with “such support as is necessary, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education”.

But the reality is totally different to the proclamations issued by the government. Children with disabilities and their families struggle every day with the disability itself, on the one hand, and with the way they are treated by the state and society, on the other. Furthermore, if we consider the problems that people with disabilities face when they turn 18 or, even worse, 21, the picture becomes tragic.

The words of Constantinos’ mother says it all:  “These children should have received the necessary support from the state and the relevant services as soon as they were born”. This (and much more) is what a true welfare state should be all about.