More than 101,000 children were registered with the social security system in April by their parents to take advantage of a grandfather clause in a new social security law.

Parents save children's future - 09 / 05 / 2008 09:06

More than 101,000 children were registered with the social security system in April by their parents to take advantage of a grandfather clause in a new social security law that goes into effect this month.

The law reforming Turkey's social security system raises the minimum age for retirement and reduces pensions.

According to the Social Security Institution (SGK), there was an explosion of applications for registration with the social security system in April.

Of the children registered with the social security system to avoid these changes, 1,039 were infants below the age of 2; 2,322 were between 3 and 5 years old and 2,644 were between the ages of 6 and 8.

The remaining 95,000 were between the ages of 8 and 18.

The Social Security and General Health Insurance Law, which introduces many essential changes to employment regulations and the social security system, was approved by President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday.

A total of 238,000 people registered with the social security system in all of 2007, but this number was 439,000 April of 2008 alone.

The number of registrations in the first four months of 2008 was 703,000 and children constituted a significant portion of this number.

The majority of these children were registered by advertising and casting agencies, as it is illegal to employ children under the age of 15 in any sector except acting.

Following this massive influx of registrations for child actors, the SGK has launched an investigation of the casting agencies involved.

The SGK has instructed its branches throughout Turkey to find out whether these casting agencies are really employing the children they registered as their employees.

The SGK had announced previously that it would cancel the registrations if they find out these child employees were not really working.

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