The welfare state in our country may not be as water-tight and as strong as that in the Scandinavian countries, however by and large our citizens know that they can turn on the state for several of their needs.
What worries me is how easy it is for a person to end up in dire straits almost overnight. I have encountered quite an impressive number of people who have gone or are going through an ordeal most often resulting from sudden illness, marriage breakdown, or bankruptcy.
What amazes me is how easy it is for an individual to fall from a safety net which we have always taken for granted.
A person I know, a former religious person who has spent the best part of her life giving her all to society, was struck by a sudden illness which left her disabled as a result of which she had to abandon her job.
On applying for a disability pension she found out that her former community had not paid the type of national insurance which entitles her to a disability pension. Her only option is to apply for social assistance which in reality entitles her to a number of benefits including free medicine.
But there’s a catch. Applicants’ savings should not exceed 14,000 euro annually. For a person who until a few months ago had a good job and who managed to save some money rather than spend it on holidays or other luxuries, this amount is peanuts.
On the other hand, this person would rather receive a nominal disability pension which at least guarantees her some peace of mind rather than being labelled as person who depends on social assistance for a living.
I know that there are persons on this blessed island who seem to enjoy living off social assistance but for a person who until some time ago belonged to the upper tier of the middle class having to fall on social assistance for a living is degrading and the cause of psychological and emotional problems. The trouble is that our system puts everyone in the same basket and does not consider individual situations. In a nutshell it’s a take it or leave it situation. Very encouraging for someone who is already troubled by physical problems.
I have also met people, mostly women, who have really slipped down the ladder following a marriage breakdown. I have met women who until a year ago used to live in a decent house together with their families but who are now living in very small houses and meagre incomes which severely affected their quality of life.
Where children are involved the situation is likely to be more complicated. Leaving aside the psychological and emotional scars which situations like these probably leave, particularly on children, a marriage breakdown may cause real financial hardship.
Talk of single mothers living off social assistance and ‘abusing’ from the ‘father unknown’ loophole adds to the rage of decent persons whose wives or husbands would have given them the boot swearing to make them suffer. I admire separating couples who still manage to respect each other in such difficult times particularly to ensure that the other part and mostly the children do not suffer.
We may not do much to avoid such situations unless we come up with a system which allows us to treat people as individuals and not just cases or numbers. We should really the standard of living a person used to enjoy prior to a sudden change in his or her life.
I am sure that if the State looks at how much that person would have contributed to society it could be in a position to make exceptions. If we reach that state we would really be ensuring that people are treated with the utmost dignity and human affection.