“My Name Is My Mother's Name” petition for unregistered children
In Federal Kurdistan Region, 4.000 children have no ID card or birth certificate. “My Name Is My Mother’s Name” petition was launched on December 5, 2018, for these children to have an ID card. “The aim of the campaign is to support the mothers of these children to have their ID cards. We submitted the signatures to the Iraqi Parliament,” said lawyer Soma Yasin, one of the petitioners.
In Federal Kurdistan Region, 4.000 children have no ID card or birth certificate. “My Name Is My Mother’s Name” petition was launched on December 5, 2018, for these children to have an ID card. “The aim of the campaign is to support the mothers of these children to have their ID cards. We submitted the signatures to the Iraqi Parliament,” said lawyer Soma Yasin, one of the petitioners.
TERZE TEHA
Sulaymaniyah- “My Name Is My Mother’s Name” petition was launched on December 5, 2018, for fatherless children having no ID card. The petition calls on the Iraqi government to allow children to be registered with the mother’s surname. According to the article 3rd of the Iraqi Constitution, children can be only registered with the father’s surname. Human rights and women organizations launched the petition and 27 Iraqi MPs have signed the petition until now. After being launched, the petition spread in society and now it has been supported by many artists, lawyers, teachers, and university students, and citizens. Some people criticize the petition because “it is against Islam.”
Lawyer Soma Yasin, one of the petitioners, told us that they will continue to work to find a solution for children, who don’t have a father and were born as a result of the rape of ISIS members but have no ID card because their religion is determined as Islam. According to unofficial data, there are 4.000 children having no ID card in Iraq, Soma Yasin said “We want to carry out work so that fatherless children can have an ID and go to school. We collected many signatures and submitted them to the Iraqi Parliament.
“There is no word saying children have to be registered with the father’s surname”
Bihar Ebdurehman, former MP of Kurdish Region and board member Kurdistan Islamic Union, indicated that the MPs discussed this issue last year but they had no result from the discussions. “In Islam, there is no word saying children have to be registered with the father’s surname,” Bihar Ebdurehman said, “The tradition of this society formed this rule. For this reason, NGOs, experts, and authorities should come together to find a solution for the children and tell the people.”
“This issue shouldn’t become a political argument”
“The aim of the petition should be told the people,” Bihar Ebdurehman said that this issue can be solved by the government with the support of the NGOs. “This issue shouldn’t become a political argument and be used for political interest.”