Mothers defend the child care support in the streets

Mothers in Bucharest protest on Monday, starting with 12 pm (local time), in front of the Work, Family and Social protection Ministry against the Government’s decision to cut the child support benefit.

The revolted mothers will bring their babies along and will wear black bans as a sign of protest for the „funeral” the Government prepares. Some fathers are also expected to take part in the movement.

Mothers have risen over 28,000 signatures with an online petition asking for the child support benefit to not be cut. The petition will be sent to the Work Ministry.

The last draft of the decision had governing members agreeing that the child support income must be reduced by 25% starting June 1. The cut will be applied to the equivalent of the 85% of the annual salary, the amount mothers staying home to take care of their babies currently receive in Romania, in the first two years after giving birth.

The PM’s councillor on economic issues Andreea Vas declared the cut will be temporary. According to her, mothers will not get less than 600 lei, but no more than 4,000 lei. The low margin and the high margin have been entailed in the law before the austerity measure being discussed.

Liberal-Democratic Party Women’s organisation asked the Government to not touch the child care support and mothers’ benefits and to look for other benefits to cut.