Dutch to Open Electronic Files on Children

Associated Press | September 14 2005

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch government plans to open an
electronic file on every child at birth as a tool to spot and 
protect the troubled kids of the future.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all citizens will be tracked from cradle to
grave in a single database - including health, education, family and
police records - the health ministry said Tuesday.

As a privacy safeguard, no single person or agency will be able to
access all contents of a file. But organizations can raise "red flags"
in the dossier to caution other agencies about problems, ministry
spokesman Jan Brouwer said.

The intention is to protect troubled children, Brouwer said. Until
now, schools and police have been unable to communicate with each
other about truancy records and criminality, which are often linked.

"Child protection services will say, 'Hey, there's a warning flag from
the police. There's another one from school. There's another one from
the doctor," Brouwer said. "Something must be going on and it's time
to call the parents in for a meeting."

Every child will get a Citizens Service Number, making it easier to
keep track of children with problems even when their families move,
said Secretary of Health Clemence Ross.

"Safety, guidance, education and supervision are incredibly important
for the development of children," Ross said.

All Dutch births are currently registered with local authorities.

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Source: "Prison Planet"
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2005/140905filesonchildren.htm


Cheers, Steve..

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