Saturday, January 18, 2014

In China natives cannot ride trains without ID-BBC

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"Everyone needs to provide an identity card to take a train anywhere."...
 
1/17/14, "Children denied an identity under China's one-child policy," BBC, by Celia Hatton

"Li Xue" (inset, scroll down)

"What is it like to grow up without identity papers in China?

Li Xue, 20, is the perfect example. Born in Beijing, just a short drive away from Tiananmen Square, she is the second in her family, born outside the one child policy. She has lived her whole life without the identification that would allow her to access government services.

"I couldn't get regular health checks as a baby, and I wasn't able to receive any kind of basic vaccines," Ms Li said. "I couldn't go to school to receive the compulsory nine-year education. Now, I don't even have an identity file. I haven't received any education, and no work place would accept me.

Everyone needs to provide an identity card to take a train anywhere and to see a doctor."

The Li family is engaged in a long drawn-out battle for their youngest child's identification.

"Right after I was born, my father went to the local police station to get my registration," Ms Li said. "My father visited several government departments with me in his arms, and tried to bring the case to court. I grew up little by little during this process, and reached school age."

Ms Li is now attempting to sue the police station for dereliction of duty, arguing there is no law on the books banning her from receiving an identity card. 

"All these years, because I couldn't go to school, I followed my parents around to try to solve my identification problem," she said.

"The police station wouldn't give us one, and they started to watch us closely. We have been beaten up before. It was very bad. I wouldn't take the identification papers if they handed them to me now.

They've broken the law, and they should shoulder the responsibility. I wouldn't want this to end so hastily.""


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