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Giving them their birthright

On the move: The birth certificate presentation at DarusSalam Maha Vidyalaya.

By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
There's a sudden flurry of excitement. The eyes of those who walk into DarusSalam Maha Vidyalaya, Jumma Masjid Road, Maligawatte sparkle. It is not a carnival. It's a presentation of birth certificates to 115 adults and children organized by the Inspiration Child Rights Organization (ICRO).

The birth certificate is a vital document. From entering a government school to claiming a pension, one's birth certificate is the document that must be produced. "A person can and may not exist without a birth certificate," says Jezima Nalim, Chairperson of ICRO. But the list does not end there. One requires a birth certificate to sit for public exams, take part in sports on a national or international level, for marriage registration, to obtain compensation and to obtain travel documents.

"That was why I felt that the best way to help the children of Sri Lanka was to help them obtain their birthright by getting birth certificates," explains Ms. Nalim. Working in the Social Services Department she came into contact with many such cases and helping out with the Street Kids Network she discovered the root of the problem.

"According to UN records, 3-4% of births in Sri Lanka go unregistered. Sri Lanka is far better than other countries in Asia but even if it is as little as 1%, that means thousands of births still go unregistered every year. I had to do something."

The ICRO was established in 1997 to combat this very problem. "In most cases the birth goes unregistered due to poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. Another reason is that the process of obtaining a birth certificate is time consuming and not everyone has the ability to do it."

The ceremony at DarusSalam Maha Vidyalaya was the first of many such events. "During the next six months we propose to undertake five other 'mobiles'," says Ms. Nalim. These mobiles, which are sponsored by UNICEF, offer children and adults who do not possess birth certificates an easy way to initiate the process.

"When I got into this work initially I sent out letters and put up posters saying we could help them obtain their birthright. The response was very poor and I had to change my methods."

It came to a point in which Ms. Nalim and others of the ICRO would visit the slums and shanties of Colombo and educate children and their parents on the importance of a birth certificate.

Once children without birth certificates are identified, the process begins. If the child's birth date is unknown a Probable Age Certificate is obtained through the help of the National Hospital. Here a government medical officer examines the child and presents a certificate as to what age his/her mental, and physical abilities are equivalent too. This is then forwarded to the Registrar General's Office and a process similar to obtaining the birth certificate begins. "Even here, the process is time consuming."

After ICRO officials had identified children in and around Colombo and obtained their papers, the Registrar General's officers meanwhile, needed to physically see the children before the certificates were presented. Hence the ceremony to hand over their birth certificates.

Selvaraja has been working at a house in Colombo for the past few years. "That's my new name," smiles the young man who has spent 20 years of his life without a birth certificate. "I never got an opportunity to go to school or learn any trade as you need a birth certificate in order to do so." And his plans now? "The next step is to obtain my Identity Card, then I'm going to start work at a welding centre."

A government circular issued in 1997 states that the birth certificate is not a requirement for school admissions. "But it remains the most important document in the minds of school principals. Therefore whatever the government circular said children without birth certificates were still not permitted to enrol in schools." Ms. Nalim adds that this is not without cause, as it would be unfair to other students if the child's age was not known.

The ICRO thus launched a campaign to educate school principals. "At the end of the awareness programme we also established Child Rights Societies in many of the schools to raise awareness of the importance of a birth certificate."

Five children from the Rambukkana Lama Nivasa also obtained their birth certificates at the ceremony, which was held last Saturday. "Apita Uthpanna Sahathika nathi nisa samanya iskola valata yanna baa," (We cannot enter a normal school since we do not possess birth certificates), they chorus. These 8, 14 and 16-year-olds all attend the Pirivena close by.

Surprisingly most who were presented with the certificates were not toddlers but adult men and women. We approached a family, which consisted of two infants. "No," smiled the mother, "I'm not trying to obtain a certificate for the kids, I'm trying to get one for my brother."

The ICRO had identified 115 who needed birth certificates. But numerous were the adults and children who turned up begging for help. "This is one way in which we can help," says Ms. Nalin "By giving these children their birthright we give them a new perspective on life."

Her work in the field earned Jezima Nalin the Human Potential (Lifetime) Award 2003, which, was presented to her by the Centre for the Development of Full Human Potential Sri Lanka - United Nations Friendship Organization. Mobiles for birth certificates will be held again at the same venue on August 16 and September 27.

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