Access the full policy brief here.
Timorese law grants each Timorese citizen who is 60 years of age or older the right to an elderly pension of USD 30 per month. In 2011, 81,000 people were registered to receive the pension.
The system through which the Government pays out the pensions is beset by multiple challenges. Many of these challenges have manifested directly as violent incidents that have been recorded by Belun’s Early Warning, Early Response (EWER) system. The following chart shows that 117 incidents related to elderly pension payments were recorded from 2010 to 2013. These incidents include violent thefts, sexual assaults and murders.
| Period | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
| District | Incidents | Incidents | Incidents | Incidents | Incidents |
| Aileu | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Ainaro | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Baucau | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| Bobonaro | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Covalima | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Dili | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Ermera | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Lautein | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| LikisA? | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| Manatuto | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Manufahi | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Oekusi | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| VikekAi?? | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
Incident data related to elderly subsidies from 2010-2013. Source: EWER system, Belun.
This policy brief seeks constructive ways for the relevant government ministries and agencies (the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Finance and the Banco Nacional de Comercio de Timor-Leste) to address the root causes of these incidents and ensure that social assistance from the Government does indeed benefit the elderly and their communities. The distribution of benefits must be well-managed, beneficiaries must be protected and anti-social behavior and social jealousy targeted at recipients entitled to benefits must be prevented.
Belun is concerned that, as elderly persons in Timor-Leste become more numerous in the future and if the identified concerns raised in this report are not resolved violent incidents related to the elderly pensions could increase in frequency and gravity.
Access the full policy brief here.