Family support and demographic security. What was discussed during the city infostream

Support for families with children and demographic security was discussed during the city news stream on the theme of a single day of informing “Traditional values of Belarusians: family, society, state” in the Minsk City Hall on October 12, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

The infostrem was attended by deputy heads of the city organizations supervising ideological work. Nine studios based on enterprises, organizations and educational institutions were connected to the central studio. The meeting was moderated by the head of the main department of ideological work and youth affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee, a member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Alexander Lukyanov and the deputy general director of the Minsk-Novosti agency - the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Minsk Courier Kirill Kazakov.

Speakers and participants discussed medical, social, socio-political and ideological aspects of the demographic security of the country.

- Today, the basis of sustainable development of any state is not only the economy, the availability of natural resources, a high level of education, the development of digital technologies, but also a strong family as the basis of democratic security and prosperity. Therefore, it is the protection of the traditional family, countering the distortion of family values, especially among young people, that is becoming a very important common ideological task for us today, Lukyanov said.

Chairman of the Standing Commission on Labor and Social Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Irina Kostevich spoke about the social support of young families in our country. Today, almost all developed countries face demographic challenges. Among the main reasons are an increase in the age of marriage, a decrease in the number of marriages, a relatively high rate of divorce, an increase in cohabitation outside marriage.

Today there are 2.6 million families in Belarus. Of these, 1,136 million are raising children under the age of 18. And it is these families that have the potential to improve demographics. 57% of them, almost 650 thousand are families with one child. Families with two children in the country almost 380 thousand. And only 9% are large. The task of the state is to create conditions for the birth of second and subsequent children in families.

As one of the main postulates of demographic security, the words of the Head of State were cited: In order to stand firmly on our land, there should be more of us, Belarusians. Much more. This is an essential condition for sovereignty.”.

And the state is doing a lot to ensure these conditions. These are housing loans, family capital, eleven types of benefits, pension guarantees and targeted assistance.

Kazakov asked about plans to link benefits for child care up to three years to the real salary that the mother received before the birth of the baby.

- The president supported the proposal. Provided that the basic level of payments remains the same. In my opinion, this is a very correct and fair approach. The relevant draft law is under development. It will affect more than 40% of young mothers, Kostevich said.

Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Research Institute of Theory and Practice of Public Administration of the Academy of Management under President Marianna Shchetkina told about the traditional values of Belarusians. She noted that there are also many other measures to support families and children.

- This includes lending to young families during housing construction, promoting a healthy lifestyle, taking care of the health of the population, benefits for large families and families with disabled children for food in educational institutions and for paying for textbooks. All this is an investment of our state in the family, in children, in youth, in the future, she concluded.

Head of the family planning department of the RSPC “Mother and Child” Ekaterina Matach spoke about the role of modern medicine in solving problems of demographic security. This summer, at the legislative level, there were changes in the provision of assisted reproductive technologies on a budgetary basis. Now couples who have experienced reproductive problems get not one but two free IVF attempts. Unmarried women can also enter the program.

Raising a worthy citizen who understands our Belarusian values, a true patriot, is a significant work. The state provides comprehensive support, but the foundations are laid in the family. Parental love, mutual help, respect for each other, mutual support. Respect for the older generation. All this should see the child at home, and then he will grow up a good person and create a good family, added the head of the Palace of Civil Rites of the Main Department of Justice of the Minsk City Executive Committee Natalia Kalinina.

Photo by Sergei Pozhi