Life can be extremely tough for single mothers in India. But it is even tougher when their abusive husbands continue to negatively impact their child's freedom.
That is precisely what happened with this Mumbai boy, who shared his life's story with Humans of Bombay.
Retelling the story of how his abusive father left his young mother and moved on, while he still struggles to get a passport, this 10-year-old's tale will bring tears to your eyes.
How it started
Sharing his life's story this young boy says, "My mother is a single parent. She was married to an abusive man, and at the age of 19 she was pregnant with me but even though my parents got separated she had to fight for my custody for 6 long years."
But if that wasn't enough, he shares that his mother has been toiling hard to get him a passport.
"Even though she won custody almost 4 years ago, the passport office refuses to make my passport, as she is a single parent. She has gone to the passport office over a hundred times, but no one seems to listen to her, they keep harassing her for more papers even though her paperwork is upto mark," he adds.
As per previous government rules, a child needed his father's name for a passport. However, that changed recently when the Delhi High Court passed a ruling that stated that a single mother can just as well be a child’s guardian and therefore, her name will suffice to get the child a passport.
The court was quoted in the TOI as saying, “Can insist upon the name of the biological father in the passport only if it is a requirement in law, like standing instructions, manuals, etc. In the absence of any provision making it mandatory to mention the name of one’s biological father in the passport, the respondents cannot insist upon the same.”
But in his case it seems this mother-son duo continues to fight this battle.
"I'm 10 years old, and because I don't have a passport, I haven't been able to travel anywhere...even though I so badly want to go to see different places," he shares.
Continue reading to see what he said about his father did after abusing his mother.
"My mother has taken care of everything for me"
Sharing his life story, he says that his father was never there to take care of him, while his mother worked hard to do everything possible to keep him happy and healthy.
"The government needs to change the rules for single parents. My mother has taken care of everything for me since I was born, but the passport office still demands the father's permission. Why is his permission needed, when he's never been my father in the first place?" he asks.
He continues to share that all these years he and his mother have been harassed by him in many ways.
How my father harassed me and my mother
"All these years, we've just been harassed by him...while he has remarried, has other children and travels the world whenever he feels like. It doesn't matter anymore I don't know him and I don't want to know him, but he continues to impact our lives negatively. He has faced charges for domestic violence against my mother, but he continues to be free...while I haven't even done anything and my freedom has been taken away. It's so unfair," he shares.
Petition for her boy
The boy and his mother Juveria Patni have been struggling to get a passport for him. In fact, for the uninitiated, she also started a petition for Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in which she explicitly explained her problems.
Dear Madam,
After a lot of failed attempts since past 3 years consistently; I have decided to write this petition in order to get permission granted to acquire a passport for my son.
I am a single parent of a 10 year old boy. I was married to an abusive man who did not spare me even during my pregnancy. I some how managed to come back to my parents home after 3 months while pregnant with my unborn child and firmly opted not to go to that man ever again. To which he retaliated by filing for the custody of my baby and harassed me for 6 years. Despite all his slanders and attempts to harass me I won the case since I was abused and also because my ex had not given any child support, maintenance or alimony. The man I was married to lives in Dubai currently. Its been 4 years now, he has not gained access to visit my son. Now he is married for the 3rd time and has a family of his own. He has no contact with my son what so ever, nor does he make any effort to visit him.
Kindly consider my petition to help me get a passport for my son, it would mean a lot to the little one.
Thank You.
Let's hope this petition reaches the right hand and that this mother and son duo are also given what they truly deserve- freedom from abuse!
Read: “I ended up marrying a man that I barely knew and didn’t love”
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