President Milanović Meets with Delegation of Civic Initiative “Pomozimo djeci s invaliditetom“

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received a delegation of the Civic Initiative “Pomozimo djeci s invaliditetom” (Let’s Help Children with Disabilities), which was founded by the parents of children with developmental disabilities. The representatives of the initiative indicated to President Milanović the reasons for their discontent with the current legislation and regulations that regulate the rights of children with disabilities, their parents as well as persons with disabilities. Furthermore, they noted the issues they face on a daily basis.

They stressed the need to promptly adopt a Personal Assistance Law and an Inclusive Supplements Law. They warned that the adoption of the aforementioned laws is not planned for in the relevant ministry’s normative activities for 2021 even though both laws are important to them since they should regulate the benefits that persons with disabilities receive and the services of personal assistants who depend today on projects of associations and therefore are not accessible to many persons with disabilities. Too much time has passed for introducing the inclusive supplement, which has been on the agenda for nearly two decades.

In their conversation with President Milanović the representatives of the initiative also expressed their discontent with the delay in adopting the new Social Services Act, which according to the ministry’s announcement, should have come into effect in April 2020. The new law should ensure the accessibility of social services on the entire territory of Croatia, resolve the status of parent-caregiver, increase benefits for vulnerable consumers of electricity for life threatened persons with disabilities who depend on a number of machines, and eliminate the income and property threshold.

Representatives of the initiative noted that thanks to their activities amendments were made to individual laws and regulations, and that they will continue to persevere in their fight for a better quality of life of children and persons with disabilities. The delegation of the civic initiative “Pomozimo djeci s invaliditetom” included parents of children and persons with disabilities Andrijana Žderić, Siniša Bosanac, Jadranka Cvek, Dženita Lazarević, parent of a person with disabilities and expert in the working group “Pomozimo djeci s invaliditetom“ Helena Melovnik Zrinjski and expert in the working group “Pomozimo djeci s invaliditetom“ Lidija Severović.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan