Monday, October 13, 2008 Oledan: Not one less By Radzini Oledan Slice of life
THEY would have wanted to send their children to school in order to learn and be productive.
Maybe, just maybe, they could also be of help to their own community. But they are Badjaos and as much as they want to enroll in school, the lack of birth registration prevents them from supporting the right of their children to learn.
The registration of a child's birth enables the child to obtain a birth certificate or a Certificate of Live Birth, the most visible evidence of a government's legal recognition of the existence of a child as a member of society.
The right to a name and a nationality is a basic right of every child. But it is a right that cannot be accessed by the Badjaos or the sea dwellers. In a first ever community consultation conducted by the City Government's program on children in the Badjao community in Matina Aplaya, residents pointed out their desire to be registered.
But the barangay and the Local Civil Registry said they could only be registered if they bring with them the marriage certificate of their parents, a requirement which they could not meet as they do not practice this act in their culture as lumads.
From the point of view of the Badjaos, they need assistance to push for their right to be registered and be counted as members of the community.
Birth registration represents the starting point for the recognition and protection of every child's fundamental right to identity and existence. It is crucial in program implementation and in allocation of resources.
With the hesitancy of agencies to assist, Badjaos are unable to claim the services and protection due them on an equal basis with other children.
Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child gives every child the right to be registered at birth. Drawing from the right to a name and nationality contained in this article 7, the 2002 General Assembly Resolution 'A World Fit for Children' reaffirms government's commitment to ensure the birth registration of all children and to invest in educate and protect children from harm and exploitation.
This situation is happening right in our community. If there could be any indication on the failure of the stakeholders to genuinely protect and promote children's rights, then this case fully illustrates it.
How many times have we heard ourselves saying, not one less? Child's rights are supposed to be encompassing and while there are disparities in the condition of children, disabling them as a member of our community by not registering their birth fully hinders them from receiving health care, social assistance, and access to education.
The situation of Badjaos in Matina Aplaya and the environment with which they live in do not help encourage our local legislators to visit the area.
Besides, if they do not have any birth certificate, how could they vote?
There are eight city councilors in the first district. I just wish that one of them would heed the call for the birth registration of Badjaos. I just hope that one of them would dare go out of their comfort zones and check for themselves. Go to the community and talk to the Badjaos. They are after all, a part of the community.
This is also a call for the Local Civil Registrar to be culture-sensitive and to be more willing to assist the community in accessing their right to be registered. It is a matter of responsibility for them to act on the matter.
If civic groups like Rotary International and Pag-ugmad sa Kabataan Center are able to reach out to the Badjaos and help them access education and put up community toilets for them, what would our agencies and local officials lose if they extend a hand to also reach out.
The condition of Badjaos is deplorable, not because they are shabby and dirty but because they are ignored. We have comfortably shut them out. They remain unseen and unheard.
