A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Bahraini boy who had no official documents as his father refused to acknowledge him as his son has been thrown a lifeline.
A court has granted him permission to apply for a birth certificate, passport and CPR, which would allow him to enrol in school.
The boy’s mother, 32, filed a case at the High Sunni Sharia Court which ruled that her ex-husband, 38, was the father of the child.
She also filed a case at the High Civil Court which ordered the issuance of a Bahraini passport, birth certificate and CPR for the boy.
According to court documents, the Bahraini couple divorced in February 2013 after 10 years of marriage.
They had two children, a boy and a girl, while she was two months pregnant with their third son.
Her ex-husband, however, refused to accept the third child or record him in official documents as his son.
After a seven-year-wait, the mother filed a case in court in April this year.
The High Sharia Sunni Court ruled that her ex-husband was indeed the father of the child. It also further ordered him to pay an alimony of BD50 every month.
“The court has ruled that the man is the father of the child. However, the boy will be in the custody of the mother,” the court said in its verdict.
Lawyer Wadeea Albani, who filed the cases on the woman’s behalf, said the boy would be able to go to school after he received his official documents.
“It’s a heartbreaking case because the father did not want to acknowledge his son for seven years,” she told the GDN.
“The mother attempted to get her ex-husband to recognise their son for years – but the latter refused and said she gave birth to him after they divorced.
“The couple has two other children, a boy and a girl.”
Ms Albani said the father even refused to meet his son for the last seven years, which traumatised the child and often left him confused.
“(The father) would meet the child’s brother several times and that prompted the seven-year-old to ask his mother – ‘why can’t I see my father, like my brother’.
“He could not even go to a nursery or school because he does not have a CPR or passport.
“Now the court has granted him permission to obtain official documents. This will allow him to go to school like all the other children.”
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