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ID cards now for children
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2004-05-13 08:54
Chinese children are now entitled to an identity card, but some parents are
concerned it could expose their kids to unnecessary risks.
Previously ID cards were not issued until an individual turned 18 years old.
In Anhui Province, more than 300 people, all under 16 years old, have applied
for an ID card since February. According to a law that took effect at the
beginning of this year, citizens younger than 16 have the option to apply for an
ID card.
Wang Banghu, professor and dean of the department of social sciences of Anhui
University, said ID cards help the government manage the population better.
Expanding the plan to include minors shows "care about humans and respect to
individuals" during transformation to a modern society.
But some parents are concerned.
Zhang Ping, the mother of a 10-year-old, said with an ID card, juveniles
could travel and check into hotels without parental permission. She believes
more teens could get caught up in dangerous situations or even illegal
activities.
The central government initiated the ID card program in 1985, but citizens
had little sense of their use for a long time under the planned economy.
Free market reforms led to robust economic growth. As a result, the free and
massive movement of people greatly increased the need and use of the ID card -
the most legally binding form of identification in the country.
Huang Xiaolin, 14, is happy to have her own ID card. She used to get annoyed
by problems associated with proving her identity when traveling alone. She got
her ID card with her mother's help.
"I felt as if I had grown up and should take some social responsibility the
moment I got my ID card," she said.
One father, surnamed Xu, applied for an ID card for his 14-month-old son. He
did it to open a bank account in his son's name and now deposits money regularly
for the boy's future education.
"The baby didn't have an ID card before, and it was hard to open a bank
account for him," Xu said. "But now it's easy."
Lenders require ID cards when people apply to open a bank account.
Meanwhile, a nationwide program has started to replace first-generation ID
cards with a new batch accessible to computers.
A total of 1.3 billion ID cards have been issued, including reissues of lost
cards, and people holding ID cards number 900 million, according to stats
provided by the Ministry of Public Security.
According to Zhang Zhenhua, an ID card officer of the Public Security Bureau
of Hefei, Anhui, children will go through the same procedure to get an ID card.
The only difference between ID cards issued for children and adults is the
period of validity. Those under 16 will have a five-year period, and it
increases to 10 years for those between 16 and 25 and can be even longer for
older citizens.
According to Zhang, there are various reasons minors would apply for an ID
card. Other than traveling, lodging or opening bank accounts, some parents want
to buy homes in their child's name, and some students need to have ID cards to
take college entrance examinations.
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