About 370,000 Iranian families who qualify for government pension are not getting it

Sabreen Kahlil lost her husband to Covid last year, leaving her to raise seven children alone, with the help of welfare – but Iraqi government funding to support her and hundreds of thousands of other poor families is blocked by political stalemate.

With politicians deadlocked over forming a new government since an election in October, rival Shiite Muslim factions in Baghdad on Friday continued their weeks-long protests which are preventing parliament from convening.

The standoff is raising fears of renewed unrest in a country where militias wield significant power, and is already taking a toll on the most vulnerable.

"I am a woman and all of a sudden I had to take the responsibility of seven children alone… it broke my back," Khalil said, speaking of the impact of her husband's death.

In her one-bedroom home in the village of Saada, Khalil said she cannot afford treatment for her chronic illness and her children have to skip some meals as food prices soar.

Nine months after applying for a government pension, she has received nothing from the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry.

“Every time we go, they tell us, ‘We are waiting for a budget’,” she said.

An official at the ministry admitted that Khalil qualifies for support, but confirmed that there is no funding to provide it. 

"Our hands are tied because there is no budget," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Khalil’s family is one of about 370,000 families who qualify for the pension but are not receiving it because of the political deadlock, the official said.

i24NEWS