Taichung Child Becomes 'Household Registration Orphan,' Councilors Urge City Government to Assist with Registration

Democratic Progressive Party city councilors Hsieh Chih-chung, Wang Li-jen, Chang Yu-yen, Huang Shou-ta, and Chang Fen-yu jointly questioned in the city council, pointing out that a foreign mother gave birth to a male infant in Taichung in 2022. Four days later, DNA testing confirmed the biological father was a Taichung citizen. When the family applied for household registration for the child, it could not be completed because the mother was still married in her home country.

Hsieh Chih-chung said that the foreign mother immediately took legal action, obtained a divorce judgment in her home country, formally completed marriage registration in Taiwan, and filed a lawsuit to deny paternity for the child. In 2024, the court judgment became final, but due to administrative procedures, 17 months after the judgment, the child still could not be registered.

Hsieh Chih-chung believes that this is a Taichung child certified by the Taichung District Court. Three years ago, the grandmother was joyful about holding her grandson, but because there was no household registration, the child could not enjoy health insurance for medical treatment and had to pay out of pocket. The child could not enter a childcare center, and with kindergarten starting in September, could not successfully enroll. He demanded that the Civil Affairs Bureau promptly initiate administrative discretion and actively study feasible measures to assist the child in quickly obtaining household registration and basic identity protection, to prevent the child's right to education and developmental rights from being continuously harmed.

Wang Li-jen stated that all evidence, including DNA test reports and court judgments, indicates that the child is a Taiwanese child. Why can't the city government use its administrative discretion to allow the child to register for household registration, leading to repeated delays in social welfare rights?

Taichung City Deputy Mayor Huang Kuo-jung emphasized agreement with Wang Li-jen's view, stating that administrative discretion should be used to allow the child to register for household registration first. If there are other objections later, they can be discussed and handled, prioritizing the child's right to enjoy benefits.

Taichung City Legal Affairs Bureau Director Li Shan-chih said that because the child was born during the existence of the ex-husband's marriage, it was presumed to be the ex-husband's child. The previous court judgment only overturned the presumption that the child was the ex-husband's. As for who the biological father is, it still requires a lawsuit to confirm the parent-child relationship through the court to establish a legal relationship with the biological father. If the biological father and biological mother marry later, the child can obtain the status of a legitimate child through the legitimation process. (Edited by Li Heng-shan) 1150409