The majority of cultural, educational, recreational and entertainment establishments in Taiwan currently use height as the standard when offering discounts to kids, which often leads to disputes and controversy. In the near future, however, age will become the sole determining factor. The legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee passed drafted amendments to the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act in the first reading on Dec. 24. The new legislation stipulates that restaurants, as well as cultural, educational, recreational and entertainment establishments should use age instead of height as the standard for discounts to entrance fees for children.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang, who is also executive director of the Child Welfare League Foundation, says that a recent survey the foundation conducted found that height is the main standard used when offering discounts on entrance fees for children at public and private business, but the standards lack uniformity, she says. Some businesses use the standard of 90cm, while others use 110cm or 115cm. The international standard, however, is typically age, not height. By using height as a standard, Taiwan is violating the principles of equality and putting taller kids at a disadvantage, so the legislation has to be changed, Wang says.
The amendments stipulate that government institutions, as well as public and private businesses ought to use age as a standard when offering children discounted entry fees, and that they should offer free admission to children under a certain age. But what age is “a certain age”? Chang Hsiu-yuan, director-general of the Child Welfare Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior, says that the ministry will be holding meetings with managers from public and private businesses to discuss the issue. They are currently mulling setting different standards for specific types of businesses.
Photo: WangMin-wei, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王敏為
Chang says the ministry is planning on simply converting the current standard height of 110cm to “three years,” and stipulating that children three years of age or younger should get free admission or only be charged a certain percentage of the full price. If things go well after the amended legislation goes into effect and public and private business are willing to cooperate, they will consider raising the standard age to four, five or even six years of age.
Chang says that the scope of public and private enterprises is vast, as it includes the industries of transportation, medicine, culture and education, as well as the food and beverage industry. She says that the problem of setting standards is a thorny issue. For example, should amusement parks be considered cultural and educational businesses? Chang does not think so but says that the National Museum of Natural Science and the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium ought to be included as such businesses, and says that different types of businesses should have different age standards.
Since the regulation does not stipulate that a private business would be fined if they failed to offer children discounts because the business could not afford to do so, and they cannot force a business to offer discounts either, the government can only persuade and encourage businesses, both public and private, to offer discounts to children under a certain age.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
目前國內文教及休閒娛樂設施的兒童優惠標準大多以身高作為依據,常引發糾紛,未來將改以「年齡」作標準。立法院社福及衛環委員會十二月二十四日初審通過「兒童及少年福利與權益保障法部分條文修正草案」,未來國內餐廳、文教及休閒娛樂設施給予兒童的優惠收費標準,應以「年紀」作為認定依據,而非採「身高」為標準。
提案的國民黨立委王育敏說,根據兒童福利聯盟今年調查顯示,公民營事業單位對於兒童的優待收費以「身高」為主,且標準不一,有些單位以九十公分為分界、有些則是一百一十公分或一百一十五公分,但國際大多採「年紀」為認定依據,台灣以「身高」為標準有違公平性,特別是讓長較高的兒童吃虧,必須修改規定。
修正草案明定,政府機關(構)、公營及民營事業提供兒童優惠措施者,其優惠方式應以年齡為標準,並提供未滿一定年齡兒童免費優惠。但所謂的「一定年齡」到底是指幾歲?內政部兒童局長張秀鴛說,內政部近期將與各公民營事業主管機關開會研商,在考量到事業單位的成本問題,目前傾向各不同事業類別訂定不同年紀的優待收費標準。
張秀鴛表示,內政部打算將一百一十公分的優待標準直接改成「三歲」,給予三歲兒童免費優待或酌收一定比例費用,若實行狀況良好、公民營事業單位也願意配合,再視情況擴大開放到四、五或六歲。
張秀鴛說,公民營事業單位的範圍很廣,包含交通、醫療、文教與餐飲類,其中也牽涉到認定的問題,例如文教設施是否包括遊樂場?她個人就認為不包括,文教設施應該是科博館或海生館,不同的行業應有不同的年齡標準。
另外,由於這項條文沒有罰則,若民營機構因為成本不敷,而不願意提供兒童優待,也無法強制要求,因此,內政部傾向勸導與鼓勵的方式,希望公民營事業單位皆提供一定年紀以下的兒童優待。
(自由時報記者李宇欣)
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