The fundamental rights of the child should not be violated in situations where the father of the child born out of an unnatural pregnancy is unknown. Governments should look at the rights, dignity and privacy of the child from a single perspective.
Undavalli Gandhibabu, Member, Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Commission
Bharath (Digital) National News
By – Raja Pentapati – AP Bureau Chief —————————————————————-
AMARAVATI , OCT 7
Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) member Undavalli Gandhibabu said that no child should be denied education, identity documents, welfare benefits or other essential government services due to the unavailability or non-disclosure of the father’s name.
He made it clear that children should not be made to bear the consequences of their birth circumstances, especially in cases where the father’s identity is unknown, where the father’s details are not available or cannot be disclosed.
Gandhibabu said that children born to women in prostitution, children of young women who get pregnant before marriage, as well as children of mothers facing special social situations are likely to face such problems.
Who is your father?” The repeated question of “Who is the father of a child?” puts children at risk of social stigma, humiliation and discrimination at a crucial stage of their education and future.
He called for a uniform policy and administrative system to be implemented across the country in this regard.
Gandhibabu was addressing a national-level conference jointly organised by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority and the Children of India Foundation at The Capital Hotel in Bengaluru.
He brought to the attention of the conference the difficulties faced by children who face questions related to father details while obtaining birth certificates, school records, identity cards and government services.
He said that the issue needs to be viewed primarily from the perspective of children’s rights, dignity and privacy, not based on traditional concepts of family identity.
He warned that children are likely to face more identity-related problems and social discrimination in the future due to registering a false or fictitious father’s name just to complete official documents.
After witnessing first-hand the difficulties faced by these women and their children, the Agriculture Gandhibabu said that they were provided legal aid through the NGO and Social Development.
“A child’s future should not depend on whether the child can tell the name of his father or not. Children should not have to bear the social consequences of their birth circumstances,” Gandhibabu said.
Gandhibabu said that he would continuously work to remove the institutional and administrative barriers affecting children. He said that he would continue to work for a system where every child gets education, recognition, protection and equal opportunities, without facing any discrimination on the basis of the circumstances of their birth or the unavailability of the father’s name.
. Swacha Andhra Pradesh
