PHOTO: Tanjug/ Dragan KujundžićThe author of the research, Marija Stefanović, said that some users of centers for social work were blackmailed that they would be denied social assistance if they did not support a certain political party.
Pressure, blackmail, intimidation, buying votes and clientelistic practices are some of the characteristics of pre-election life in Serbia, from which the centers for social work and the users of the centers are not spared, said the program director today. Lines Rasha Nedeljkov.
At the presentation of the results of the research on political pressures in centers for social work, he said that there are 700.000 users of centers for social work in Serbia, and that more than half a million citizens live below the poverty line. "Those people expect only solidarity and support from the state and protection, and where they seek protection they are exposed to pressure and blackmail," explained Nedeljkov, adding that it is hypocritical to talk about free elections in such conditions.
He noted that the prosecution, the commissioner for the protection of citizens and the protector of citizens should do everything possible to show the determination of the state to stop such practices.
The author of the research, Marija Stefanović, pointed out that through 68 in-depth interviews conducted before the 2022 elections, Crta came to the conclusion that political pressures are not only present during the election process, but are constant.
According to her, public sector employees are particularly exposed to pressure, especially those who have fixed-term contracts or contracts for temporary and occasional jobs, as well as socially and economically vulnerable and minority groups, such as the Roma community. Stefanović said that employees were not only blackmailed to participate in political activities or to vote for someone, but were also blackmailed to spy on colleagues at work and on social networks.
Also, as she said, some users of centers for social work were threatened that they would be denied social assistance if they did not support a certain political party.
The author of the research also explained that through the research they received confirmation that clientelistic networks are very prevalent in centers for social work, because political parties use them to reach users, that is, potential voters, which they do through the abuse of lists of service users.
She singled out the data that half a million people live in absolute poverty, 1,5 million on the poverty line, and that 45 percent of citizens estimate that they cannot "make ends meet" by the end of the month. There are 700.000 users of the services of centers for social work in Serbia, and 176.000 people use cash social assistance. "Centers for social work are an illustration of weak institutions," concluded Stefanović.
She emphasized that the pressures on the centers are carried out through representatives of the municipality, most often the president of the municipality and the mayor or their deputies and trusted people, who directly influence the directors of the centers, and they directly influence the employees.
However, as she pointed out, not all employees are exposed to these pressures to the same extent, the most affected are those who are paid from the budget of local self-governments and who have contracts for temporary work and fixed-term contracts.
In addition, Stefanović said, not only political support is at stake, but also professional and financial support is required from the employees of the centers, i.e. donations or a part of the salary given to the foreigner, and social assistance beneficiaries give a part of the received funds.
The author of the research and full professor of the Faculty of Law, Danilo Vuković, said that there are three mechanisms by which institutions weaken due to party networks, namely party employment, the work of institutions not in the public interest, but in the party's interest, and that in the public sector no one is allowed to do anything controversial. to say, because there is a culture of fear. He concluded that clientelism is not a marginal problem of Serbian politics, but that the government is maintained with its help.
According to his claims, earlier clientelistic networks included entrepreneurs, that is, companies, and now clientelism is moving into the sphere of social protection.
MJ/FoNet
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