Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Impoverished Person Appeals to Court against Social Aid Agency

April 17, 2007

gatakib.gif

Sixty-year-old lonely person, Lamzira Burduladze has lived in a shell for many years. She has neither furniture nor any income except her pension. She applied for help several times in vain. Despite her extremely poor conditions, the social aid agency does not assist her. The reason is several rabbits the impoverished woman has.

Initially, Lamzira Burduladze applied to the Social Aid and Employment Agency’s Gurjaani Office in December of 2005 and asked them to grant her with social allowances. Social agent explored her house and filled in a declaration. In May of 2006, Ms. Lamzira received a warrant that states that she was granted with the rate point of 90530. The woman demanded to examine her house once more. However, the repeated survey did not make any changes in the point. “Afterwards, I applied to the Social Aid Agency for the second time. While filling in the declaration, I answered the social agent that I lived alone and the agent could observe it personally. I had neither gas, nor electricity or some other source of getting warm; I could manage to work; I was a lonely person; I had no income and could not cultivate a plot; I had no poultry or domestic animals except five rabbits. I lived in a shell located near the house of my parents and sisters. I had no furniture, things of personal hygiene and the living conditions were extremely poor,” said the impoverished woman.

The third exploration resulted into granting the family with the rating point of 69620. Despite those changes, Burduladze could not receive any allowances because only those families that received points below 52 thousand could be granted with the aid.

Lamzira Burduladze applied to the district Administrative Board several times and urged them to assist her with single social aid, though in vain. Since December 2006 she has been receiving a pension - 38 lari. She said that the pension saves her from death because of extreme poverty and starvation. “My neighbors help me but how long will they be so helpful for me? They are not very rich either…My life becomes more and more horrible. Although I have several rabbits it does not mean I can earn my living. I do not need any money to keep them. If I had not had those rabbits, I should have died long before. Sometimes I cook the rabbit. I give part of the meat to neighbors in exchange of bread or fire wood. Thus I live on,” said Burduladze who also added that neighbors helped her to apply to the central office of the Social Aid Agency but nobody has paid attention to her.

“I am so poor that sometimes in winter in order to get warm, I use a bakery. I sit in the oven and several times I went asleep and nearly burnt in it. My conditions are extremely poor, I cannot describe you everything. Many things might surprise you and it encourages people to consider me a mad. However, I am healthy and have my dignity, so I do not want to tell you everything. As I have already said I have nothing except this mud-hut where rains leaks in and    how can they grant me with so high points, is beyond me. Because of all these I think that the social aid agency illegally granted my family with that point,” said Burduladze.

Representatives of the Social Aid and Employment State Agency’s Gurjaani Office deny Burduladze’s accusations. According to Khatuna Papunashvili, the head of the office, agents did not make any violations regarding Burduladze’s family. “Social agent filled in the declaration legally. It was also pointed out in the declaration that the woman had rabbits. Burduladze’s family was granted with high point and consequently she could not receive aid. We do not deny that her living conditions are poor,” said Papunashvili.

Several days ago, Burduladze applied to the non-governmental organization, Human Rights Center’s Kakheti office to protect her rights. Representatives of the organization concluded after having estimated the living conditions of the applicant that the social agency has blatantly violated her rights and she deserves allowance.

“Social agency has explored Burduladze’s family three times, though she could not receive any allowances. Thus we will appeal to the district court and demand it to abolish the warrant issued on Lamzira Burduladze. Besides that under Georgian Administrative Procedural Code, Article 22', 23', 24' and 33' we demand the court to charge the social agency to grant the woman with allowances,’ said Lia Khuroshvili, a lawyer for the Human Rights Centre.

Statistics show that Burduladze’s case is the first precedent in the region who demands the allowance from the social agency through court.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kkaheti

News