PERNEM: The North Goa District Legal Service Authority (NGDLSA) and Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) conducted Late Birth Registration Camp for Wanarmare tribals at the Pernem Court, on Tuesday.
This was a first-of-its-kind initiative where both – the NGDLSA and GSCPCR engaged in a joint effort for late birth registration of 63 children and adults belonging to the Wanarmare nomadic tribals residing at Virnoda, in Pernem Taluka.
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GSCPCR Chairperson Peter Borges said that the late birth registration applications will be taken up for hearing by the Civil Judge Senior Division at Pernem and the same are likely to be disposed off on the same day after hearing both the parties on merit.
Borges said that the NGDLSA has taken all the efforts and initiative to see that all the applicants are given free legal aid by engaging the services of the empanelled lawyers on the roll of Taluka Legal Service Committee, Pernem and the respective lawyers have agreed to give quick services as regards drafting and registration of these applications before the Court.
The Civil Judge Senior Division at Pernem has assured to give all the cooperation by fixing all these matters on its daily board and to take them on priority without causing any inconvenience to the other litigants.
The request for late birth registration was raised by Borges and NGDLSA and obtained the permission from the Executive Chairman of Goa State Legal Service Authority, took up this drive for this underprivileged and unreached section of the society.
Borges said that the birth registration is a fundamental human right that opens the door to other rights, including education and health care, participation and protection. The Wanarmare tribes were at particular risk of Statelessness because their situation makes it difficult for them to register births or obtain related documents. “They are nomadic and are vulnerable and lacked documents establishing their identity,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the hearing, the Childline North Goa conducted an awareness programme on the rights of children. The Commission would further ensure access to other social and legal protection schemes, including access to voting, food security for all the tribals. The next step now would be also to ensure 100 per cent birth registrations at Nirankhal, Ponda, where the other settlement of the Wanarmare tribals resides.
