Member of Parliament Hendrik Tevreden of the MEP parliamentary faction has requested an urgent meeting of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs of the Parliament of Aruba to discuss a situation that, in his view, creates a serious injustice for individuals receiving social assistance.
It has come to light that the current legislation may cause recipients of social assistance to lose part of their benefits if they remain outside Aruba for more than four weeks, even when their stay abroad is due to medical treatment or other serious humanitarian circumstances.
MEP believes that situations such as these require compassion and reasonableness. No citizen should be financially penalized when faced with illness or other extraordinary circumstances that require them to seek medical care or assistance abroad.
For that reason, MP Tevreden has also requested that the Minister of Social Affairs and the Department of Social Affairs participate in the meeting to examine how the current regulations can be improved and how exceptions can be created for genuinely exceptional humanitarian cases.
MEP will continue working toward a social protection system that safeguards the most vulnerable members of society and applies the law with humanity and fairness.
