Gulf-based women seek citizenship for children

Several women from Kerala who moved to Gulf countries to take up employment are running from pillar to post as they seek to obtain Indian citizenship for their children born to partners from their host countries. The majority of these hapless women are housemaids. Sources say that more than 500 such cases were reported from various Gulf countries. Most of the women belong to Malabar, the northern region of the state. At least 20 such mothers are from the Kozhikode Corporation limit alone. "Those involved are mostly children in the age group of five and 15. The women in the age group of 30 to 50 continue to work in the host countries. The children are generally under their care and guardianship, only some of them get to go to school," a source revealed. Citizenship rules The source said that many of the women do not want to return to Kerala leaving their children in the host countries. Indian citizenship rules state that a child born to an Indian parent, regardless of the citizenship of the other parent or marital status, is an Indian citizen and thus entitled to an Indian passport. The problem arises for children where one or both parents failed to register the births with the relevant Indian embassy. Although the Indian law has provisions to correct the children's status, given that most of those affected in this care are poor and educationally deprived in the host countries, their situation leaves a lot to be desired, the sources said.