Household registration status and disadvantaged migrant

children in the big city

Hoang Kim DzungCenter for Community Health and Ecology Environment

hoangkimdzung@gmail.comNguyen Dinh Thiet

Commissions for Population Family and Children in Vietnam

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Research questions

3. Aims of study

4. Definition

5. Methodology

6. Findings

7. Conclusions

8. Recommendations

1. Introduction• Actually urbanization involves a flows of migrati

on to the big cities and newly industrial zones. • A lot of children accompany their parents to

migrate to the cities. Some of these children became street children (VCPFC 2002).

• If these children are not educated and managed, they may cause a lot of problems for society or probably get risks to be vulnerable.

• No research studies on the children who follow their parents to migrate the cities at begining of 2005.

2. Research questions

1. What are the living condition of these children in the cities?

2. Do family and society meet needs and rights of these children?

   Children to day, the world tomorrow

3. Aim of research study

To understand the living conditions of the children in free migrant families to the big cities, and then recommend solutions to protect the rights of this children group

4. Definitions

• Household registration: “formal residents” (every person in a household has to be informed their name, age, gender, occupation, relations with head of household in a household book, including new born children)

• Temporary residents: only for people over ages 15

• Long term registration• Short term registration

5.1 Indicators

Based on the basic principles of Convention on the Rights of the Child:

• Informal and formal education enrolment• Health services utilization • The responsibilities of parents• Rest and relaxation, and play• Violence, exploitation and abuse• Voluntary or non voluntary working• Economic well-being

5.2 Quantitative method

• Individual questionnaire: 360 children aged 10 to 15 years old who follow their parents to migrate to the city during 1995 and 2005.

• Select participants by snow ball technique

5.3 Qualitative method• In depth interview:

• The parents of children under 10 year old,

• Local teachers, • Community officials.

• Observed accommodation • 2 focus group discussions of the community

leaders and officials.• A seminar disseminated primary findings with

the officials who relate population management in Ho Chi Minh City.

5.4 Investigated places

Selected two wards in two districts where population is the most mobile in Ho Chi Minh City. (2005)

Ward No 12 of Govap district: – Formal registered population: 46 716 persons– In fact population: about 120 000 persons

Binh Tri Dong ward of Binh Tan district: – Formal registered population: 24 214 persona– In fact population: 59 559 persons

6.2 Registration status of child families

 Status of registration 

%  

No registration 6.7

Temporary registration 62.5

Household registration 3.9

Others 0.8

Do not know 26.1

 Total respondents 100.0

6.3 Conditions for household registry

• In the past it was difficult to get household registration in the cities. But it is easier now.

• One of the main conditions: (for long term residents) Be a formal owner of house/flat (Legal approval ), orThe owners/landlords have to guarantee for his/her

residents to rent house in long term.

In fact, poor and temporary migrants are not able to own house (expensive), and no owners/landlords guarantee for their long term rents (security reasons)

6.4 Education status

Never in

school

3%No longer

in school

28%

Still in

school

69%

6.5 Reasons of school dropping out

• Public school enrolment was a priority for children who are household registration status, then those in long term temporary registration, after short term migrants.

• Normaly children in short term migrants family had to attend private school or stay at home, there is very limited place in public school.

• Children older than enrolment ages can not enrol public school (it is results from moving their families). (For example enrolment age is 5, but chid age at 8 can not attend public school).

• Lost birth certificates when family moving. • Lack of pre-school lead older child have to look after

the younger child at home.

6.6 Access to health services

• Half of children reported that their parents have to buy drug for their self treatment when they got sick, because their parents could not afford doctor

• Parents were reluctant to access community health services, because they thought that they

had not any right to use public services.

6.7 Using public health services

• Free health insurance for children under 5 year old from government were delivered by household registration, it is available in the original home of registration. But they can not use it in new residences.

• There were a health examination ward with free of charge for poor families in the city, but none of these parents knew about this ward.

Refuse to answer

8%

Assist family business

7%sell raffle/lottery

tickets11%

Work for employer

12%

No work62%

6.8 Working by children

6.9 Self isolation by parents

• Most of parents are temporary workers, feeling inferiority complex

• They live in small groups which they were the same situation, living condition and jobs

• Do not take part in the community activities. They think they have no right, due to their temporary registration status

6.10 Public policies and services

• Infrastructure, housing, public services, transportation were overloading. But access social services and welfare policies are based on household registration status.

• Migrant management focused on the adult population only, unknown numbers of children under15 year old.

6.11 Desire of the children

Parents earn more money

for better family living

21%

Want to go school23%

Don't know28%

Others9%

Want to have fun time

or traveling19%

7 Conclusions• Since population is managed by

household and temporary registration, a huge number of children from free and poor migrants under 15 years old are not managed and protected their rights and their benefits in the new residents.

• Household registration status creates a big gap between the local and migrant children in being able to access public services such as school and health care services.

8. Recommendation

– Find other ways to manage population rather than household registration

– Do not rely on household registration to solve the social welfare policies.

– Set up migrant services and networks to provide information, legal support, administrative assistance with school enrolment, health care, and other related child rights issues for parents.

– Needs more research studies on this target– (Resident law is changed from 1 July 2007)

Thanks for listening