More than 200 people have joined a Line group in support of a 21-year-old man who allegedly has never gone to school and lives on the streets without a national identification (ID) card, Su Yi-ching (蘇乙青), warden of the Beijing Borough (北京) in Taichung’s Beitun District (北屯), said yesterday.
The man allegedly has never received regular education, has never registered his household, and used to be banned by his father from leaving their rented accommodation until February, said Su, who spotted the man while visiting a local recycling center on May 8.
Su cited the man as saying that his surname was Huang (黃) and that he had seen the phrase “ROC 93, Jun. 17” on a sheet of paper, which was reported to be his birthday.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Taipei Times
Su said he noticed Huang was alone collecting cardboard boxes in a shabby outfit at the recycling center and, after talking to him, learned that he never went to school and could not be employed because he did not have a national ID card.
Su reached out to Huang’s father, who confirmed their father-son relationship and told Su that he had brought his son to get a haircut and take a photo to apply for a national ID card.
Huang’s father did not explain why the plan wound up nowhere, but promised that he would help Huang register his household, Su said.
However, Su visited the recycling center a month later only to find that Huang became “thinner and stinkier,” and decided to bring Huang back to his office for personal grooming and a change of clothes, he said.
Su also accompanied Huang to a restaurant for lunch the next day and found that he was unfamiliar with the basic social conventions of restaurants.
For example, he did not dare to pick a chair and just sit down, and used his own tissues instead of those provided by the restaurant to “avoid the expense,” Su said.
It turned out that Huang allegedly had been locked in their rented room since he was young, until he in February climbed out of the building and fell on an awning, which prompted him to be scolded and expelled by his father, he said.
Huang had a Southeastern Asian accent and normal intelligence, but he spoke and responded as unsophisticated as a 10-year-old boy, probably because he rarely socialized with people other than his father, Su said.
Huang had lived with his mother before he started a life with his father, but he does not remember much about her, he said.
As his father allegedly threatened not to raise him if he was not obedient or made trouble, he dared not to go outside and even the building’s concierge did not know him, Su cited Huang as saying.
Huang also told Su that he learned things from his father or television and began to learn simple words since he could use a mobile phone with Internet access.
While he was almost illiterate, his father did part-time jobs for a living and taught him how to collect recyclables in exchange for money, Su cited Huang as saying.
Although he has been expelled from his home and has since lived on instant noodles and slept on streets, Huang was cited as saying that he hoped he could make money to help his father.
Su has reported Huang’s case to the Taichung Social Affairs Bureau and provided him with some food and clean clothes.
To gather more resources from the public to support Huang, he also set up a Line group that attracted more than 200 members.
Following a report of Huang’s story by the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday, Su said many have donated clothes, shoes, books, watches and a mobile phone, some have prepared a cake and gifts to celebrate his reported birthday tomorrow.
The bureau yesterday said that details related to Huang’s birth, education and family life must be further clarified to see if his father did affect his mental and physical development by restricting his freedom and depriving him of the right to education.
Huang’s father would be further reported and penalized as required by the Criminal Code and the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) if his alleged offenses of obstructing child development are substantiated by the investigation, it said.
Reached for comment, attorney Nieh Jui-ying (聶瑞瑩) said that Huang’s father was suspected of child abuse, including mental cruelty and neglect.
He allegedly used verbal abuse to isolate and control his son and neglected his basic needs in terms of diet, hygiene, education, as well as emotional and medical care, thus undermining Huang’s mental and physical development as a child, she said.
Huang must identify his father’s abusive behaviors and collect evidence that is within the statute of limitations, Nieh said.
He could seek legal counseling, report his case to the police or apply for a protection order, while also reaching out to a local social affairs bureau for assistance from a social worker or a counseling psychologist, she said.
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