ŽUNIĆ: CHILD ALLOWANCE NOT EXPENSE BUT INVESTMENT IN FUTURE

DERVENTA, AUGUST 26 /SRNA/ – Support for families cannot begin and end with the birth of a child, because parenthood continues on daily basis, and responsible family policy must support families as their children grow; therefore, child allowance is one of the important rights within Republika Srpska's child protection system, Derventa Mayor Igor Žunić said.

Žunić recalled that this year child allowance amounts to BAM 117 per month for the first, second and fourth child, while the allowance for the third child is BAM 169 per month for families that meet the conditions prescribed by law.

"This means that support does not come just once. It arrives every month and helps parents meet their children's everyday needs more easily," Žunić told SRNA on the occasion of the Srpska Loves You campaign, through which the Republika Srpska President Office is presenting the rights and measures that currently form the family support system in Republika Srpska.

He added that child allowance can be received until a child reaches the age of 15, provided that the child is in regular education.

"When we talk about support for families, it is important for citizens to know that this policy does not rest on a single benefit or measure. There is an entire system of rights that supports families through different stages of a child’s development," Žunić stressed.

According to Žunić, in the latest available monthly payment, for June this year, child allowance covered 16,636 children, or 9,864 beneficiaries – parents.

"These are thousands of families for whom this right represents concrete support every month. Our goal must be to continue developing the system, so that support grows alongside the capabilities of Republika Srpska and so that no family that meets the requirements is left without the rights to which it is entitled. Because investing in a child is not an expense. It is an investment in the future of Republika Srpska. Srpska Loves You. Love is rights," the Mayor of Derventa said.