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荷蘭北部的弗里斯蘭省最近出臺了一項政策，靠政府福利金生活的無業單身女性將享受到價值1400歐元的美容和婚介服務，還會有專業人士向她們傳授社交技巧，希望能幫助她們找到有一定經濟實力的另一半，并由此減少政府福利開支。出臺這一政策的機構認為，愛情可以幫助失業者重拾自信，獲得前進的動力。為該政策提供婚介服務的負責人表示，政府統計數據表明，有伴侶的人往往更健康、更快樂、掙的錢更多，而且壽命更長，他們對社會醫療和福利體制的依賴性也相對校小；所以才會提出這一政策幫助她們找到伴侶并離開社會福利系統。對此，當地部分政界人士提出批評，稱這種做法不道德，是在浪費納稅人的錢。
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Unemployed Dutch women are being offered a €1,400 (￡1,150) fashion and beauty makeover and free membership of a dating agency to get them off the dole by finding a solvent husband. |
Unemployed Dutch women are being offered a €1,400 (￡1,150) fashion and beauty makeover and free membership of a dating agency to get them off the dole by finding a solvent husband. Single jobseekers will be given a new hairstyle and outfit, and tips from a life coach on how to attract a new partner or a job.
They will also be given instruction in social and presentation skills and a place on the exclusive matchmaking service Mens & Relatie (People and Relationships), boosted by a professional photograph of their new image. Mens & Relatie claims a 75 percent success rate in finding long-term partners for its clients.
The thinking behind the scheme, organised by three councils in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, is that finding love helps to get the unemployed off state benefits by improving confidence, ambition and motivation. Some local politicians, however, have criticised it as unethical and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“This is a total concept of trying to get people out of social security,” said Radboud Visser, the managing director of Mens & Relatie, which was hired by the three municipalities to find employed new partners for unemployed lonely hearts. “We know from national statistics that people in a relationship have better health, more happiness, make more money and live longer lives. They make less use of medical systems and social security. So in Friesland they thought, we can try to get people out of social security by bringing them to a nice new husband.”
Mr Visser said that the first candidate for the scheme had already enrolled. It is available to men and women, but he said he expected most of his clients to be female. “Social security costs €650 a month and Friesland pays us around €650 once — so when they are able to get someone out of social security, they have made their money back after just one month,” he said.
More than 600 unemployed people are eligible for the scheme in the three councils. However, after publicity, some of it adverse, in the Dutch media, the scheme has been put on hold in one of the councils and put under review in the second, with a spokesman saying they were “reconsidering their plans”.
Mr Visser has no doubts that the State and the unemployed will benefit. “If you go for a job interview or on an interview for a new partner, it is almost the same thing. You must be sure you look good, you take care of your body and your face and you say the right things.
“I am sure that people who have done this will be on social security for less time because they will find a job and a partner.”
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(Agencies)
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
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