mostly maids – who migrated to the Gulf for jobs are struggling to get Indian citizenship for their children, born to partners in their host countries. Sources say more than 500 such cases have been reported from various Gulf countries. Most of the women are from Malabar, in the north of Kerala. There are at least 20 such mothers from within the Kozhikode Corporation's limits alone. Most of the mothers involved are aged 30-45, with children aged 5-15. The mothers still work in the Gulf and care for the children, only some of whom get to go to school. The source said many of these women do not want to return to Kerala and leave their children behind in the host countries. Indian citizenship rules are clear that a child born to an Indian parent, regardless of marital status or the citizenship of the other parent, is an Indian citizen and is entitled to an Indian passport. The problem here seems to have come up for children born after 2004 whose parent or parents failed to register their births with an Indian embassy. Indian law has provisions allowing for the children's status to be corrected. But most of the mothers are poor, with little education and not much freedom of movement within their host countries, which makes the situation more difficult. Considering the social ramifications, the matter is being brought before the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department. The Kerala State Women's Commission is expected to seek government support to carry out a detailed survey of the women. Commission member T. Devi said that investigation had brought out the fact that several expatriate women did not have certificates proving they were married to their foreign partners – some of them were duped and fell prey to sexual exploitation.
