Right on birth certificate ‘neglected’

[webfact]

Right on birth certificate ‘neglected’

By Kas Chanwanpen 
The Nation 

 

 

World Vision Foundation of Thailand (WVFT), a children’s rights advocate, revealed yesterday that around 60,000 babies of migrant workers are born in Thailand every year, but only a fraction of them get a birth certificate that would give them access to basic rights such as education and healthcare.
 

At a forum “Birth Registration, Health and Social Issues of Myanmar Migrants in Thailand” held yesterday at Mahidol University’s Salaya Campus, WVFT director Sarawut Rachasrimuang said both migrant workers and Thai authorities lacked proper understanding about birth certificates. Every child born in the Kingdom is entitled to a birth certificate regardless of the parents’ legal status.

 

“Thailand has adequate laws that address these rights,” he said. “However, migrants lack the knowledge of what they are entitled to and are afraid to contact the authorities.” 

 

Hence, WVFT has launched the Empowering Civil Society Organisations for Protection of Migrant Children (ECPMC) project to improve the situation. The European Union is one of the sponsors of this project. 

 

Working primarily in Ranong, Chumphon and Tak provinces, the foundation and its partners, including Mahidol University, provide training to migrant workers to raise awareness on government services. Thailand currently has more than 4 million registered migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. 

 

Lacking proper legal status, migrant children born in the Kingdom tend to go unrecognised and do not get the rights they deserve, the foundation’s director explained.

 

Adisorn Keadmongkol, coordinator of the Migrant Working Group Thailand, added that while Thailand has good legislation and policies on immigrants, failure in implementation is the key issue. 

 

“Children will be properly protected only if we raise awareness,” he said. “It is only by working on this project and ensuring that migrant children are given their rights, that we will be taken seriously at the regional level.”

 

Another migrant-rights advocate, Surapong Kongchantuk, said registering births does not just ensure that every child has access to education and healthcare, it also translates into better record keeping, resulting in better administration. “It is only when we keep record of how many people, and who, are in the country, that we will be able to provide better administration,” he said. 

 

Surapong reiterated that related laws are already in place, but state authorities sometimes lack understanding and have a negative attitude towards migrants. 

 

Meanwhile, EU Ambassador to Thailand Pirkka Tapiola, who gave the keynote address, called on the government to be more responsible towards migrant workers. 

 

“If we compare the situation to 20 years ago, the number of migrant workers in Thailand has grown dramatically,” he said. “This has been a consequence of a very positive development, which is called economic growth. You don’t really have unemployment in Thailand. This means Thailand needs migrant workers.”

 

He went on to say that once Thailand has a large number of migrant workers, and they have children, the country has the responsibility to protect them by providing identity, education and healthcare. This does not mean it’s an investment in other countries, he said. 

 

“It’s an investment on the future of your own society. It’s an investment in integration. It’s an investment in social welfare.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352828

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-24

[RotMahKid]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

60,000 babies of migrant workers are born in Thailand every year, but only a fraction of them get a birth certificate that would give them access to basic rights such as education and healthcare.

and that already for how many years?

So give them first the basic rights and then start complaining about Farang that are in or enter Thailand without a health insurance.

Clean first your own street before you start complaining about your neighbors!

[holy cow cm]

And foreign dads of Thai kids of their own blood don’t have a hope in hades getting a residency or citizenship to be able to stay here with their kids with no worry. Nothing is guaranteed you’d figure for people already proven with at least 10 years then going up more staying with same family taking care should be easily eligible to apply and pass with not so much of any hurdles over the sewage pit

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

60,000 babies of migrant workers are born in Thailand every year, but only a fraction of them get a birth certificate that would give them access to basic rights such as education and healthcare.

Same for all Thai babies.

[Antonymous]

12 hours ago, mikebell said:

Same for all Thai babies.

Not sure about that. However, the actual date of birth is certainly suspect. Case in point, my wife! Grandmother saw inauspicious lines on her little hand at birth and consulted a monk who advised a better birth date - four months hence. So she wasn't registed until that date and now has a real birthday (not mentioned) and an official one! Not that she's complaining. Makes her four months younger and an excuse for two celebrations.

 

The education of migrant workers and minority groups to their rights and procedures for registering births is of course a serious issue and much needed.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....'lack of understanding'.....!@#$%^&*

 

...the law is simple and clear....but is not being applied....

 

...tens of thousands deprived of their basic human rights......for years....

 

...this cannot be..... 'accidental'.....or.....'unintentional'......

 

....you know what it is..........

 

 

[Khun Paul]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Surapong reiterated that related laws are already in place, but state authorities sometimes lack understanding and have a negative attitude towards migrants. 

How did these State Authorities get tol make decisions , when they seem NOT to UNDERSTAND the LAW. Someone explain that to me. 

Or is it Xenophobia, Racism  and Thainess rearing its head negatively. 

[khunPer]

We have read in other threads that children born in Thailand from foreign parents – i.e. both mom and day are foreigners – are not Thai nationals. The question was up recently in a tread where a "farang" pair asked, if a their child was born in Thailand, would it then (also) be Thai national; the answer was "no".

 

But parents of course need birth documentation – and Thailand need the migrant workforce from neighboring countries...?

[Sonhia]

Simple answer.

 

It is convenient!

 

Racism.

 

Again, look at past history and at who was born where!

[brain150]

1 hour ago, Sonhia said:

Simple answer.

 

It is convenient!

 

Racism.

 

Again, look at past history and at who was born where!

No !!! It is the LAW !!! 

[JAG]

It suits certain people with influence.

 

If you are stateless, you end up in a pool of labour ripe for exploiting, miserable wages, no access to any labour rights, minimum wage not applied and so on.

 

That labour force represents significantly reduced costs, particularly in construction and agriculture.

 

Reduced costs mean greater profits.

 

Greater profits means more influence.

 

Nothing will change. The beaurocrats in khaki are owned...

Edited August 24, 2018 by JAG

[kekalot]

Just now, JAG said:

It is convenient, and suits certain people with influence.

 

If you are stateless, you end up in a pool of labour ripe for exploiting, miserable wages, no access to any labour rights, minimum wage not applied and so on.

 

That labour force represents significantly reduced costs, particularly in construction and agriculture.

Reduced costs mean greater profits.

 

Greater profits means more influence...

 

Nothing will change. The beaurocrats in khaki are owned.

indeed, I have a Burmese friend who was born in Thailand from 2 Burmese parent now  24 years old, went to university in Chiang Mai.. god knows why as she can't get a proper job anywhere because she is not Thai.

she is technically locked into living in Mae Hong Son and cannot go anywhere without a pass of some sort.

absolutely zero paths to being citizen or even getting a passport as both sides reject her (she never lived in myanmar).

 

rough. she did nothing to deserve this.

perhaps. she should have went to that cave too /s

[blackcab]

An off topic post has been removed.

[mikebell]

On 8/24/2018 at 4:47 AM, webfact said:

On 8/24/2018 at 8:58 AM, Antonymous said:

Not sure about that. However, the actual date of birth is certainly suspect. Case in point, my wife! Grandmother saw inauspicious lines on her little hand at birth and consulted a monk who advised a better birth date - four months hence. So she wasn't registed until that date and now has a real birthday (not mentioned) and an official one! Not that she's complaining. Makes her four months younger and an excuse for two celebrations.

 

The education of migrant workers and minority groups to their rights and procedures for registering births is of course a serious issue and much needed.

Sorry I was being flippant with 'give them access to basic rights such as education and healthcare.'

I was talking about Thai babies!

 

Agree about dubious birth cert data: my wife's cert says 1969 but she freely admits her mum didn't register it for a couple of years & then  guessed at the dates.