Price increases cause greater anger among vulnerable categories of citizens
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- Category: Content
- Published on 10 September 2012
- Written by Aktiv!
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The increases of prices that endanger the already low living standard are causing a growing anger among the citizens. A team of activists visited toll points of EVN and Central Heating of Skopje, as well as markets in Skopje to hear the citizens' attitude on this issue. Some did not want to speak in front of cameras. Those that are more courageous clearly express their attitude against the price increases and they support the protests of the initiative AMAN.
The growth of prices will mostly hit on the most vulnerable categories of citizens. We talked to ethnic – Roma citizens in Skopje and Kumanovo. They say that neither their low incomes, nor the welfare on which depend many Roma families, would be sufficient to pay the bills, and not to talk about covering the basic needs such as food, clothing, and medicines. Spending money for personal pleasure or entertainment for them is a long thought noun.
In a similar, if not a far less enviable situation, are people with disabilities and their families. Hardly any of them work and have income, such as a minimum wage in disability protective firms or low disability pensions. Many of them depend on social welfare, which is less than 50 euros per month. Other state benefits are rare and are more than modest, and the situation becomes even more difficult, taking into account the additional healthcare costs that these people have and are associated with their disabilities. With the recent rise in prices, these people will have to think well, where to spend the little money they have. A parent of a visually impaired person says the price increase seriously endangers the existence of these people.
Citizens, regardless of their origin or social status, are unanimous in their demands. They say: Stop the increase of prices! Their protests continue every Tuesday.
(Authors of the story: Xhelal Hodzic, Anna Velkovska, Ivana Radevska, Simon Petrovski, Viktorjia Mladenova , Maja Kojcheva, Kire Vasilev. The story is the product of volunteer activists and civil society organizations and informal movements, including the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, NGOs Civil, Polio Plus, the informal movement AMAN, NGO Romano Ilo, NGO DROM Kumanovo, Local development Agency Struga, Stop Nationalism movement, who participated in the training for the use of multimedia tools and online platforms for activism associated with civil and human rights)
