By Alexey Yaroshevich
Every year, young boys and girls across the country gain their passports. Young citizens from Minsk recently launched a campaign entitled We are Citizens of Belarus! organised by the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, and dedicated to Constitution Day, on March 15th. In the Council of the Republic, 20 children received their first identification documents from the Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament, Anatoly Rubinov.
Since August 2012, the minimum age for obtaining a passport has been lowered to 14, from 16. As Mr. Rubinov explained before the ceremony, “Young people mature faster these days, so it’s important that this intellectual and physical development is accompanied by civil maturity.”
The children chosen for the ceremonial passport presentation included Anastasia Zaitseva, who studies at the 190th secondary school and dances with the honoured group Rovesnik; she often goes on tour, winning international competitions, and is also a volunteer with Kind Hearts. Naturally, she has plenty of opportunity for travel and tells us, “I’m delighted to have received my passport here. I was quite nervous and still am a little.”
