Cuts to social security have increased the need for social assistance
Social assistance is a last-resort, discretionary financial aid intended for short-term use. However, long-term use is common due to the insufficiency of primary social security benefits and difficulties in meeting their related obligations.
The cuts made by the Orpo government to basic security, earnings-related benefits, and housing allowance have increased the need for social assistance. Prior to this, the number of social assistance recipients had been declining for several years.
The need for social assistance will not be reduced by sanctions
The need for social assistance will not be reduced by tightening the obligations for receiving the support or by increasing related sanctions. The current basic amount is not sufficient to cover essential living expenses, especially in families with children. The proposed reduction in benefit level would further undermine people’s ability to cope.
Particularly problematic is the proposal to expand the sanctioning procedure in cases where the applicant fails to meet obligations, such as those related to job-seeking. These difficulties are largely due to challenges in functioning capacity, as well as deficiencies in service guidance and access to adequate social and health services. The measures proposed in the draft would not address these issues. Instead, they would worsen the distress of people already struggling with livelihood, health, and functioning challenges.
It is astonishing that the draft proposal does not assess the fundamental and human rights impacts of the proposed changes, nor their cumulative effects in conjunction with other legislative proposals currently under consultation. The proposed changes to the Unemployment Security Act would expand the sanctions for non-compliance with job-seeking obligations and significantly reinforce the negative impacts of the changes to the Social Assistance Act.
The right to indispensable subsistence is strongly guaranteed in the Finnish Constitution as a subjective right. Its realization is central to the whole framework of human rights and a prerequisite for democracy and societal stability. The proposed measures would endanger the fulfillment of fundamental and human rights without yielding any significant benefits. The need for social assistance can only be reduced by ensuring adequate basic security and access to social, health, and employment services.
We, the undersigned associations, demand that the social assistance reform ensure the realization of fundamental and human rights in all circumstances.
Signatories:
Nuorisoala ry
Amnesty International Suomen osasto ry
Ihmisoikeusliitto ry
Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto ry
Moniheli ry / Katto-toiminta
Nuorisoasuntoliitto NAL ry
SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry
Työttömien Keskusjärjestö ry
More information:
Mariko Sato, Expert on Economic and Social Rights, Amnesty International Finnish Section, mariko.sato@amnesty.fi
Heli Markkula, Head of Economic and Social Rights Work, Finnish League for Human Rights, tel. +358 44 738 9120, heli.markkula@ihmisoikeusliitto.fi