Maintenance debts in Latvia exceed €400 million as collection remains slow
Unpaid child maintenance debts in Latvia exceed 400 million euros, and collection remains slow. The state pays maintenance from its guarantee fund to tens of thousands of children, but the amount is below the minimum set for parents.
Unpaid child maintenance debts in Latvia now total more than 400 million euros, and the process of recovering them remains slow. Such debts arise when a parent who lives apart from a child fails to meet the obligation to support that child. The problem affects families in which only one parent raises the children.
State support through the guarantee fund
At present the state pays maintenance from the Maintenance Guarantee Fund to tens of thousands of children whose other parent avoids their obligations. However, the amount paid out by the fund is still lower than the minimum set for parents. For a child under seven years of age the minimum is 155 euros, and after that age it is 180 euros.
Wider context
The issue comes at a time when birth rates in Latvia have continued to fall in recent years, making family support policy one of the state's key priorities. Support is needed not only for newborns, but also for children who are raised by a single parent.
