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Date Published: 14/12/2021
ARCHIVED - Benefits increased for children orphaned due to gender violence in Spain
Children in Spain will now also be entitled to aid even if the murderer was not their father
More than 300 children have been orphaned in Spain since 2013 due to sexual violence, and as a result have been spiralled into a situation of poverty and vulnerability. A law reform passed on Tuesday December 14 hopes to remedy this, by ensuring that minors who have lost their mothers will receive an orphan’s pension regardless if their parents have contributed to the system or if the murderer was not their father.
The change, which has been accepted by most of the political parties, will guarantee that children whose mothers have not contributed will receive a minimum of 600 euros – that figure is currently just 140 – and in cases where the deceased has worked, the amount will average at around 800 euros.
Once formally approved, the new law will ensure that the children of women murdered by men who are not their parents will have the same rights to the benefits, something which is not happening at the moment, and the adoption of orphans by relatives will not lead to the loss of the aid if the family has a low income.
While the text has received broad parliamentary support, Podemos abstained from the vote, and party member Ángela Rodríguez explained that she believes a number of amendments are still required, not least of which is the issue that the benefits are less when a mother hasn’t paid any contributions.
"Why does it matter if the mother has worked or not or in what, or her salary, when what happens is that she has been murdered", Ms Rodríguez stated.
In addition, Podemos has urged the government to increase the orphan’s pension to an amount higher than the proposed 800 euros.
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