One in five Croatians are at risk of poverty, especially in rural areas, with welfare benefits not enough to cover the cost of basics, Croatia's Ombudswoman, Lora Vidovic, warned on Wednesday.

One in five Croatians are at risk of poverty, especially in rural areas, with welfare benefits not enough to cover the cost of basics, Croatia’s Ombudswoman, Lora Vidovic, warned on Wednesday.

Another group which is especially vulnerable are pensioners, Vidovic added in a statement issued to mark World Day of Social Justice, observed on February 20.

“Croatia still has no strategy of welfare housing, or for the issue of homelessness, or any solutions for a sustainable food banks system, which are some of the recommended measures to tackle the problems some citizens are faced with,” Vidovic said

One in four persons over 65 years of age – which is nearly half of all people living in single-person households – is at risk of poverty. Last December, nearly 250,000 pensioners, or more than one in five, eked out a living on monthly pensions of 1,600 kuna (€216) or lower.

“Low income people are also the ones most exposed to income discrimination, which prevents them from participating in public life and increases the risk of social exclusion,” Vidovic said.

The key to achieving social justice is in creating jobs, and in providing more access to jobs for people with no income, she said, adding that a minimum wage should guarantee a more dignified and better life for most Croatians currently at risk of poverty.

The legally mandated minimum net salary is 3,000 kuna (€405) since January this year, after the government had raised it from 2,752 kuna (€372).

(€1 = 7.40 kuna)

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