PERIĆ-ROMIĆ: LUNCH, RUNNING SHOES AND SCHOOL CANNOT WAIT FOR CHILD SUPPORT

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 25 /SRNA/ - The Law on Temporary Child Support has created a mechanism under which, when the prescribed conditions are met, the Republika Srpska Public Child Protection Fund temporarily pays child support for a child whose parent fails to fulfill their obligation, not because Republika Srpska is taking over the responsibility of an irresponsible parent, but because a child cannot wait, Republika Srpska National Assembly member Ranka Perić-Romić told SRNA.

"The bill for school supplies cannot wait. The running shoes a child has outgrown cannot wait. Lunch cannot wait. A school trip cannot wait. Childhood cannot be put on hold while adults resolve their disputes. That is why I believe the adoption of this law is one of the important measures of Republika Srpska's family policy. Imagine a mother who gets her child ready for school every morning, goes to work, pays for housing, food, clothing, books and everything else that raising a child entails. Then, every month, she waits for money that the other parent is legally required by a court decision to provide for their child. And it does not arrive," Perić-Romić told SRNA in connection with the Srpska Loves You campaign, through which the Office of Republika Srpska President will, in the coming period, present the rights and measures that currently form the family support system in Republika Srpska. She recalled that until now this was often a problem for the mother or father who remained with the child, but from now on it is also an issue to which Republika Srpska provides an answer. "That is why I believe the adoption of this law is one of the important measures of Republika Srpska's family policy. We did not create a new obligation for parents. It already exists and is established by the court. We did something else - we protected the child from the consequences of its non-fulfillment," Perić-Romić stressed. She said that temporary child support can be received for a maximum period until the child reaches the age of 18. When a court has established an obligation amounting to at least 15 percent of the average salary, according to the data on which the entitlement was introduced, the amount is up to BAM 229. She added that when the court-ordered obligation is lower, that lower amount is paid, while Republika Srpska will seek reimbursement of the funds from the person who was required to pay the child support. "That is a fair policy. We help those who cannot wait, while responsibility remains where it belongs. When we say that the family is a priority, then that must also apply when a family is facing difficult circumstances. When we say that Srpska loves its children, then that love must be transformed into a right. In this case, a right that tells one parent: `You are not alone,` and tells one child: `Adult conflicts are not your fault and they will not become your burden,`" Perić-Romić concluded.