Taichung probes confinement claims by ID-less youth found in junkyard

Taichung, June 15 (CNA) Taichung's Social Affairs Bureau is investigating the case of a 21-year-old man recently found in a junkyard, who claims his father confined him indoors for most of his life and never registered his birth, leaving him without an official ID card, education, or access to social services.

The young man was recently discovered by Su Yi-qing (蘇乙青), a ward chief in the city's Beitun District, who reported the case to the city government.

According to Su and the bureau, the man said he had been kept inside a rented home since childhood, denied schooling, and forbidden to leave home. He also claimed to have no household registration records or ID card.

The bureau said it is still trying to clarify the limited information provided by the young man, who said he was born on June 17, 2004.

In February, the man was allegedly kicked out of his home by his father and has since been living on the streets, scavenging to survive and sleeping in parks, stairwells, and train stations, according to Su.

Su first shared the story about the young man in a Facebook post on June 10, and the following day the bureau placed the man in a shelter.

Su said he found the young man in a junkyard, and noted that, despite being 21 years old, he displayed the behavior and communication skills of a 10-year-old child. Su recalled taking him to a restaurant for the first time, where the young man was unsure how to find a seat and revealed he had never eaten at a restaurant before.

Su said the young man told him that he often relied on discarded food or instant noodles for meals.

A social worker contacted his father last week, but the father has so far refused to cooperate or provide information to verify the man's identity, the Social Affairs Bureau said.

If the young man's claims are found to be true, the bureau said it could fine the father under the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, and would report him for allegedly abusing a minor, or impairing an individual's metal or physical health or development.

Those offences, which are stipulated in Article 286 of the Criminal Code, carry a prison term of up to five years.

Meanwhile, the city's Civil Affairs Bureau said in a separate statement Sunday that it has instructed its household registration offices and Beitun District chief to work with the Social Affairs Bureau to determine the young man's identity.

All births in Taiwan are recorded and compiled daily by the health ministry for other government agencies, including household registration offices, to establish relevant records, the bureau explained.