Solving the identity document bottleneck for children in special circumstances

(Dan Tri) - Children without identification papers has been a bottleneck in the care of children in special circumstances for many years. Ho Chi Minh City has almost completed the removal of this bottleneck.

No child left behind

On November 21, the Culture - Social Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council coordinated with the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Justice, the City Police, the City Children's Rights Protection Association and the City Civil Servants' Union to organize a seminar on "Current situation and solutions for the work of issuing birth certificates, identification codes, residence registration and identity cards for children and adolescents in special circumstances".

Seminar on synthesizing and developing standard procedures for issuing identification documents to children in special circumstances (Photo: Hai Long).

At the seminar, delegates focused on analyzing the current situation and specific difficulties in providing documents for children and adolescents in special circumstances. The lack of legal documents not only hinders children from studying and accessing healthcare, but also greatly affects their future.

According to delegates, the issuance of birth certificates, identification codes, residence registration and identity cards for children in special circumstances still faces many obstacles. The main obstacles are the lack of supporting documents from parents, difficulties in administrative procedures, and lack of data linkage between agencies, which have complicated the process of issuing documents.

In particular, current legal regulations lack flexibility for special cases, while many families and children do not receive the necessary information and legal support.

In addition, the awareness of some families, especially migrant families, about the importance of identity documents is limited, leading to the situation of not making documents for children or missing related procedures.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said: "Ho Chi Minh City is a locality that attracts many people from other provinces and cities to live and work; including many children in special circumstances, orphans, abandoned children, and children who migrated with their families from remote areas, with many difficulties in obtaining identification papers."

Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (Photo: Hai Long).

Without identification papers, children are not entitled to basic social security benefits such as health insurance, education, etc. At the same time, they are at risk of falling into problems such as early labor and being forced to work in violation of the law.

"Therefore, making identification papers for children in special circumstances is our responsibility. No child should be left behind, every child has the basic right to social security," Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan emphasized.

There are 27 remaining cases.

Mr. Cao Thanh Binh, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said that 6 units have coordinated with each other to build an effective connection mechanism between the police, justice, health, education, etc. to better verify and issue identity papers for children. From this mechanism, a standard process has been born, serving as a model for units to follow.

120 delegates from departments, districts of Ho Chi Minh City and provincial police gave their opinions at the discussion (Photo: Hai Long).

Statistics when implementing the plan show that in the city, there are 575 children in child support facilities and charity classes in this situation; of which 444 children are actually residing in Ho Chi Minh City, the rest have moved to other provinces and cities.

As of the morning of November 21, 6 units have supported the issuance of birth certificates for 417/444 cases, while 27 cases have not yet been issued birth certificates. These are all cases with many problems that the 6 coordinating units have not yet been able to resolve.

Representatives of districts presented each of the 27 unresolved cases. Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Police and the City Department of Justice gave their opinions on how to resolve each case.

Mr. Cao Thanh Binh's statistics show that delegates have contributed 18 groups of solutions and proposals to resolve difficulties in issuing identification papers to children in special circumstances.

Of the 27 unresolved cases, 21 have been resolved and will be completed in December. However, there are still 6 cases of children waiting for the opinions of central agencies.

Mr. Cao Thanh Binh, Head of the Culture - Social Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (Photo: Hai Long).

Mr. Cao Thanh Binh requested that units continue to make efforts and coordinate with each other to resolve the issue thoroughly. If necessary, they should organize inter-sectoral meetings to resolve each outstanding case.

"If we do it with all our heart and responsibility towards children, all problems can be solved," Mr. Binh emphasized.

Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Children, Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, assessed: "Issuing documents for children in special circumstances has been a bottleneck for many years, not only in Ho Chi Minh City, leading to the risk of many children living outside the law, being left behind, not enjoying social security policies. Ho Chi Minh City has solved a problem that has existed for many years."

Photo: Hai Long

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/giai-quyet-diem-nghen-giay-to-tuy-than-cho-tre-em-co-hoan-canh-dac-biet-20241121134748418.htm