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TDT | Manama

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Around 6,518 widows in Bahrain are receiving monthly stipends and allowances from the Ministry of Social Development, new government data has shown.

The figures also confirm that 4,550 orphans are supported through the same programme, split between 2,058 boys and 2,492 girls.

The number of children under state care has more than doubled in the past 25 years.

In 2001, about 2,825 orphans were covered. By last year, that figure had risen above 4,500.

Income

Support is provided under the Social Security Law, which sets out the terms of eligibility for families without adequate income.

Those entitled include widows, divorcees, abandoned women, the elderly, families of prisoners, people unable to work, those with disabilities, unmarried daughters and dependent sons, alongside orphans.

Applications are handled through the Registration and Social Services Department in community centres across Bahrain’s governorates.

Recipients

The ministry also directs aid to people with disabilities, with the latest count showing 14,762 recipients.

Separate figures put the number of families benefiting from low-income assistance at 133,988 during the past year.