The president of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal denounced this Monday that, since they arrived in the country, there are refugees who have not yet received the promised social support. That is why Pavlo Sadokha says that more and more Ukrainians want to leave Portugal and return home.
Speaking to Rádio Observador, on World Refugee Day, the president of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal explains that these citizens “no longer have funds to continue living” in the country. And Pavlo Sadokha gives an example.
My family picked up six people (from Ukraine). Right at the beginning we submitted all the applications to Social Security, but so far we haven’t received anything. I can still feed them, but it’s hard,” she laments.
The president of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal therefore explains that the number of Ukrainian refugees who are already planning to return home “It has increased in recent weeks.”
Listen to Pavlo Sadokha’s statement to the Observer here in full:
Refugees. “The Ukrainians spent everything they had here and now they ask for help in return”
The official explains, however, that at this time “it is difficult to organize the return, because the Ukrainians who arrived here they had already spent everything they had brought.” “And now they are asking for financial support to organize the trip home. But it has been difficult,” she stresses.
Pavlo Sadokha added that several municipalities are organizing “bus initiatives” to make travel easier.
The Observer has already questioned the Social Security Institute and the Ministry of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security about the status of the support, but has not received a response so far. Also contacted by the Observer, the Immigration and Border Service refers to these entities.
After the war began, the Government published the Social Security guide in English on the different social protection subsidies to which refugees could be entitled, with the different levels and amounts broken down. In April, the executive announced that he had already delivered “more than 1500 social benefits for Ukrainian refugees“.
According to the latest data, the Immigration and Border Service has granted some 43,000 temporary protections to Ukrainian refugees in Portugal.
Source: Observadora
