An Infant Dies from Cold and Hunger but the Parents still cannot Receive Social Assistance

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

The family of Aleksandre Sikmashvili, a resident of village Anaga, Sighnagi District lives in extreme poverty. The family has a half demolished house, two iron beds, a chair with a broken leg, an iron oven, one table, a black and white TV that was given to the family by a neighbor and which costs 70 GEL and several plates. The monthly income of the family is a mere 21 GEL that Aleksandre Sikmashvili earns by pasturing the cattle of his neighbor two or three times a month.  Aleksandre and Irma Sikmashvili’s 10-month old daughter died last winter from cold. Even though the family lives in very grave conditions the Agency for Social Service refused to grant them social assistance.

Aleksandre Sikmashvili applied to the Sighnaghi District Department of Agency for Social Service for social assistance three times now.

“I applied to the Agency first in September 2007. A social agent came and examined our house. No social assistance was allotted that time. I applied in March 2008 for the second time. Our family was examined again but we did not receive any answer from the Agency. I visited the Agency personally but no one paid attention to me. I visited their office for several days just in vain. I applied to the Agency for the third time in January 2009. They examined the house again but did not give any answer,” said Aleksandre Sikmashvili.

“There are some families in our village that have a house, a car, jobs and plots but still receive social assistance. If you make an illegal bargain you will receive assistance,” explained Aleksandre Sikmashvili’s neighbor Natela Sikmashvili.

-What do you mean?

-If you do not give to the person in charge money equal to several months of social assistance they do not allot you the assistance. Is this the first time you have heard that the people in charge make money?

-No, I have not heard that. Do you know a particular fact?

-They work without leaving any evidence but we know that you have to give about 200 US Dollars to Zurabishvili.

-Who is Zurabishvili?

-The head of the District Department of the Agency of Social Service.

-Did he ask you personally for the money?

-No. He neither asked for the money nor granted the assistance despite the fact that my house is demolishing. I do not have either fowl or cattle. My husband has disabilities. I support the family by cultivating the plots of others. One of the requirements for receiving social assistance is unemployment but what else can we do to support ourselves when they do not give the assistance,” said an outraged Natela Sikmashvili.

We have heard from Anzor Sikmashvili, the father of Aleksandre Sikmashvili, that Aleksandre’s and Irma’s daughter died because the baby was cold and hungry: “Can you imagine a poverty of a family that loses a child from hunger and coldness. Poor baby! She was sleeping with her mother but it was so cold that she froze at night. The parents could not afford to buy firewood. He could not go to the forest to cut the wood there.  You get fined if you cut wood in a forest without a warrant. They did not have the money to buy the warrant and could not dare to cut illegally. They live in extreme poverty. Sometimes I and sometimes others send them the food. They barely get along with life.”

We contacted the Kakheti Regional Coordinating Centre of Agency for Social Service and they stated that the last time Aleksandre Sikmashvili’s family was examined was on February 10, 2009. The family received 68,610 points which is too many points to receive social assistance. A family can receive social assistance of 30 GEL per person per month if it receives 57 000 or less points.

“A social agent examined Aleksandre Sikmashvili’s family three times. The first time the social agent filled in a declaration on the social condition of the family but since Aleksandre Sikmashvili, the authorized representative of the family, was not at home the social agent wrote a protocol and canceled the declaration. The protocol which gives the information that Sikmashvili was not at home at that time is signed by a neighbor of Sikmashvilis. Aleksandre Sikmashvili was not at home during the second examination either. The third time the family was examined and received 68,610 points. The points were granted in full compliance with the current legislation,” said Otar Sesiashvili, the head of the Coordinating Centre of Kakheti Region within the Agency of Social Service.

Zurab Zurabishvili, the head of the Sighnaghi Department denies the allegation of charging money for allotting social assistance. “I cannot understand why you are interested in this issue. I do not know who says what? I would be a fool if I confirm the accusations of your interviewees,” said Zurabishvili.

Aleksandre Sikmashvili applied to the Human Rights Centre for help. The representatives of our NGO examined his socio-economic situation and considered it extremely grave. Lawyers of our organization will apply to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs with the request to grant social assistance to this socially excluded family.