A Belarusian Woman Raising Children Was Labeled A "freeloader"
- 27.09.2026, 10:17
I had to run to fend them off.
A Belarusian mother of many children shared on TikTok how she was added to a database of “freeloaders” and began receiving bills for her gas usage at full rates. She didn’t notice this right away, but only several years later, according to “Zerkalo”.
“Today’s topic is refunds and the ‘freeloaders’ database. I’ll explain how I got my name removed from that database. And I recommend that all women with children under the age of seven look into this issue,” the TikToker said. “It’s not that the system is set up this way—it’s the officials who do this. They know which women have multiple children; they have the data. But I still ended up on the ‘freeloaders’ list and started paying 100% for gas.”
According to her, “For the first two years, it was so subtle that I didn’t even realize I was paying 100%.”
“I paid 100% for myself as someone not employed in the workforce, and 50% for my children. This wasn’t indicated anywhere. I didn’t even realize I was paying the full rate. No one ever followed up with me. No one said, ‘You have three children; bring a certificate.’ All I had to do was bring a certificate showing that my child attends preschool,” the woman added.
A TikTok user pointed out that, by law, women raising children under the age of 7 should not be classified as “freeloaders.”
“You may not be working, but you’re still considered part of the workforce. Many officials know this, but they don’t say anything. I ended up getting my money back. I filed a claim. The overpayment wasn’t as noticeable before, but the laws changed in 2025, and I started paying 100% for each family member. I went there and submitted a request. I did get a refund, but I had to wait a very long time,” the woman explained. “Then I thought I could also get a refund for the previous two years. They told me, “It’s such a small amount.” But I went anyway. And I did this not by filing a claim, but at a meeting of the district executive committee.”
The TikToker advises anyone facing a similar problem to “go to the meeting and fight to get your money back.”
“Whether it’s a small amount or not—it’s your money. I believe the problem isn’t with the system itself, but with the incompetence of the people handling these issues. When I was on the ‘freeloaders’ list, it included both students who are actually studying and people who are working. People end up on that list who shouldn’t be there at all,” the woman added. “At the hearing, I asked the chairperson to work more closely with people and explain the law to them. I received a piece of paper saying, ‘You’re on the list.’ So what does that tell me? Not much.”