Khaberni - The number of active insured individuals in the Social Security Corporation reached 1.671 million; among them, 458,811 are actively insured women, constituting about 28% of the total insured, according to Shaman Al-Majali, the acting general director of the institution.
Al-Majali said during a consultative dialogue meeting titled "Journey of Social Protection and Maternity: Towards More Responsive Policies,” that the number of insured women who have benefited from maternity insurance since its implementation to date reached 91,587 insured women, while the number of beneficiaries during the last year was 11,969 insured women, and 9,390 insured women during the current year.
He emphasized at the opening of the meeting the importance of continuing to develop the social protection system related to maternity insurance and various other insurances provided by the social security law to meet the needs of the insured women and families, and to support working women and enhance their economic participation.
Regarding the care program, Al-Majali explained that the cumulative number of insured women benefiting from child care services through home care and nurseries reached 38,401 beneficiaries, while the number during the last year was 4,835 beneficiaries and 4,976 beneficiaries during the current year.
Rima Aslan, the director of the Decent Work for Women program at the International Labour Organization, praised the role of maternity insurance in protecting women and enhancing their economic participation, stating that international labor standards view maternity from an integrated perspective that combines the protection of women's health and social protection.
He explained that the meeting represents an opportunity to move to new stages in the development of maternity insurance by enhancing the insurance and reviewing the eligibility conditions and the value of maternity compensation, along with strengthening the linkage between maternity insurance and care services, noting that the dialogue is based on the results of studies conducted for this purpose.
The meeting discussed the results of the study “Documenting the Maternity Journey” alongside the results of the survey study on nursery support programs and care programs, the current status of maternity insurance, and the proposed adjustments to the associated social protection system.
Representatives from the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Social Development, civil society organizations, nurseries, representatives from women's unions and organizations, and a number of ministries and institutions and experts participated in work groups discussing the responsiveness of the proposed amendments to the results of the studies and recommendations, the expected benefits and challenges of implementation, and how to enhance the role of maternity insurance in supporting women and families, in addition to considering additional measures.
The holding of this meeting is part of the partnership between the General Institution of Social Security and the International Labour Organization, aimed at benefiting from the results of studies and specialized expertise, discussing the proposed orientations for developing maternity insurance and care services, leading to recommendations that contribute to building more responsive social protection policies to the needs of women, families, and the labor market.
