Nothing new in the new Law for Social Protection

On 17th of June 2009, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia has adopted new Law for Social Protection.
            The Republic Center for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability – PORAKA supported the need for adoption of a new Law for Social Protection that was initiated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy more than two years ago.
            But, the text of the new Law for Social Protection that was proposed by the working group of this ministry, in a significant number of regulations is not in accordance with the positive reforms undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for harmonization of the legislation with the one of the European union. At the same time, the text is in contrary with the principles and the regulations of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disability, which was signed by the Republic of Macedonia on 30th of March 2007 in New York.
            The proposed Law for Social Protection in general didn’t bring any significant changes and new items, which will mean better protection for the persons with intellectual disability and their families.
            The working group did not consider the proposals of PORAKA, which were submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Social policy on several occasions during the creation and during the revision of the draft – law in the previous years.
            Incomprehensible, but the working group in the new text of the Law for Social Protection is using again already abandoned, degrading and discriminating terminology “persons with mental disability” in regard to the persons with intellectual disability.


            PORAKA reacted on this and again send its proposals for improvement of the text of the Law for Social Protection to the parliamentarians – members and deputy members of the Committee for labor and social policy and of the Legislative committee in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, followed with a request for meetings where the proposals would be elaborated in details. But, only the parliamentarians from few opposition parties were interested enough to support the initiative of PORAKA, and to try to include the proposals of PORAKA in the new text of the Law, by submitting amendments.
That was not enough to provoke changes in the text of the Law for Social Protection and to introduce better social protection for persons with intellectual disability. On 17th of June 2009, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the Law for Social Protection, but without the proposals of PORAKA. The state again missed the opportunity to fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide effective social protection for one of the most marginalized groups of citizens in the Macedonian society