The Refugee Voice_ThirdIssue

06.2012SPECIAL EDITION FOR WORLD REFUGEE DAY

Mody Bar-On and Kidane Isaac, Neighbours, Finally Meet 02 Israeli Hospitals Deny Refugees' Fatherhood 06 Food Tour in Neve Shaanan 22 Free Kick: The First Refugee Soccer League 30

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Photograph by

Lior Patel

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5 YEARS OF NEGLECT6 MOLOTOV COCKTAILSONE BURNT APARTMENT700 DEPORTED REFUGEES60 THOUSAND PEOPLE WITH NO RIGHTS

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

3 2

"EREH ELIGARF SI GNIHTYREVE" ilearsI na ,nO-raB idoM dna ,ytilanosrep noisivelet rebmem ffats ,caasI enadiK dna ecioV eegufeR ehT fo ,aertirE morf rekees mulysa ,srobhgien yllacitcarp tsrif eht rof keew siht tem krap yksniveL ni emit ot deirt yeht rehtegoT ot snaem ti tahw dnatsrednu eht fo egde rehto eht no eb dna tcilfnoc sdoohrobhgiengniog lla sti erehw

suomaf a si erehT .skcalb' eht erew yeht nehT .noitani-mircsid morf dereffus osla yeht dna seirtnuoc milsuM morf ereh emac sweJ emos ,wonk uoY" :nO-raB idoM emas eht meht deksa nrut ni seloP eht dna ,setinem-eY eht emac neht ,?emoc uoy did yhW" - meht deksa ereh devil ohw sbarA eht dna seloP eht emac tsrif :tiks-woH .nrut ruoy sti woN .tsniaga detanimircsid syaw-la si sevirra taht noitargimmi fo evaw hcaE .noitseuq era eW .hsiweJ ton era uoy :ecnereffid a si ereht ,reve".rettam siht ni citsilanoitan yrev"?ereh erutuf ruo ees uoy od woh ,noitaredisnoc ot ni siht lla gnikaT" :caasI a fo tsdim eht ni era eW .noitseuq yvaeh A" :nO-raB."ytironim a ekil sleef taht ytirojam a era eW .ssem siht otni pmuj ot hguone etanutrofnu erew uoY .seirotirret deipucco eht gnidrag-er sevlesruo tsgnoma etabed hcum si ereht ,ssecorp-ed ni eveileb uoy taht gnidnatsrednu ym si tI" :caasI"?noitautis siht ni deveihca ti si woH .ycarcom eht sessarrabme osla noitautis siht taht kniht I .dessar-rabme mI dna ,snoitseuq tnellecxe ksa uoY" :nO-raB

,deneppah tsuj tI .seegufer gninrecnoc eussi siht detap-icitna ydobyna kniht tnod I tuB .tnemhsilbatse ilearsI"?eegufer a deredisnoc uoy era ,enadiK em lleT .etal oot pu ekow enoyreve dna ."detroped eb tonnac ew ecnis ,"noitcetorP puorG" dellac si tahw ot deltitne mI .ereh ycilop hcus on si erehT" :caasI uoy edivorp tndid tub yats uoy tel yeht oS" :nO-raB?ereh gnimoc peek snac-irfA od yhw ,noinipo ruoy nI .evivrus ot snaem htiw I 7002 nI .emoc elpoep os ,sthgir namuh tuoba erac ew ,ycarcomed a era eW' :smialc syawla learsI" :caasI".ereh retteb eb dluow ti taht thguoht elp-oep dna ,raw livic ni ydaerla saw hcihw ,naduS ni saw fo ycarcomed a ton tub ,ycarcomed a era eW" :nO-raB ruo fo trap si siht ,yrtnuoc dlrow driht a yllautca era eW .ereh eligarf si gnihtyreve ,dnik hsitirB ro naciremA eht .tnera ew tub ,nredom sa sevlesruo ees eW .ytixelpmoc ,yteicos gnuoy a era ew taht rebmemer ot evah uoY ecnedifnoc eht evah ton od eW .snoicipsus ynam htiw".deen uoy ytiruces eht uoy evig ot

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gnitceffa seussi lacitirc egagne ot meht wolla ot ,learsI ni ytinummoc rekees mulysa eht gnirewopme fo esoprup eht rof seegufer dna silearsI htob yb yltnioj decudorp repapswen a si "ecioV eegufeR ehT" sserpxe ot mroftalp a htiw meht edivorp ot dna meht.noitamrofni erahs ot dna sevlesmeht

eegufeR ehT" ,yaD eegufeR dlroW fo ronoh nI nI .repapswen zteraaH eht ot dedda eb lliw "ecioV zteraaH lareves ,sretroper ecioV eegufeR ot noitidda eegufeR ehT" eht fo trap eb ot ekil dluow uoy fI.yaw yna ni tnetnoc s'repapswen eht rof elbisnopser ton si zteraaH ,revewoH .noitide siht ni detapicitrap osla sretirw ta su liame esaelp ,dne gnignellahc dna tnatropmi siht ot noitubirtnoc tnatropmi na ekam ot dna "ecioVmoc.ecioveegufereht.www etisbew ruo no su tuoba erom nrael nac uoy ,noitidda nI .moc.ecioveegufereht@reetnulov

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3 2

"EREH ELIGARF SI GNIHTYREVE" ilearsI na ,nO-raB idoM dna ,ytilanosrep noisivelet rebmem ffats ,caasI enadiK dna ecioV eegufeR ehT fo ,aertirE morf rekees mulysa ,srobhgien yllacitcarp tsrif eht rof keew siht tem krap yksniveL ni emit ot deirt yeht rehtegoT ot snaem ti tahw dnatsrednu eht fo egde rehto eht no eb dna tcilfnoc sdoohrobhgiengniog lla sti erehw

suomaf a si erehT .skcalb' eht erew yeht nehT .noitani-mircsid morf dereffus osla yeht dna seirtnuoc milsuM morf ereh emac sweJ emos ,wonk uoY" :nO-raB idoM emas eht meht deksa nrut ni seloP eht dna ,setinem-eY eht emac neht ,?emoc uoy did yhW" - meht deksa ereh devil ohw sbarA eht dna seloP eht emac tsrif :tiks-woH .nrut ruoy sti woN .tsniaga detanimircsid syaw-la si sevirra taht noitargimmi fo evaw hcaE .noitseuq era eW .hsiweJ ton era uoy :ecnereffid a si ereht ,reve".rettam siht ni citsilanoitan yrev"?ereh erutuf ruo ees uoy od woh ,noitaredisnoc ot ni siht lla gnikaT" :caasI a fo tsdim eht ni era eW .noitseuq yvaeh A" :nO-raB."ytironim a ekil sleef taht ytirojam a era eW .ssem siht otni pmuj ot hguone etanutrofnu erew uoY .seirotirret deipucco eht gnidrag-er sevlesruo tsgnoma etabed hcum si ereht ,ssecorp-ed ni eveileb uoy taht gnidnatsrednu ym si tI" :caasI"?noitautis siht ni deveihca ti si woH .ycarcom eht sessarrabme osla noitautis siht taht kniht I .dessar-rabme mI dna ,snoitseuq tnellecxe ksa uoY" :nO-raB

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gnitceffa seussi lacitirc egagne ot meht wolla ot ,learsI ni ytinummoc rekees mulysa eht gnirewopme fo esoprup eht rof seegufer dna silearsI htob yb yltnioj decudorp repapswen a si "ecioV eegufeR ehT" sserpxe ot mroftalp a htiw meht edivorp ot dna meht.noitamrofni erahs ot dna sevlesmeht

eegufeR ehT" ,yaD eegufeR dlroW fo ronoh nI nI .repapswen zteraaH eht ot dedda eb lliw "ecioV zteraaH lareves ,sretroper ecioV eegufeR ot noitidda eegufeR ehT" eht fo trap eb ot ekil dluow uoy fI.yaw yna ni tnetnoc s'repapswen eht rof elbisnopser ton si zteraaH ,revewoH .noitide siht ni detapicitrap osla sretirw ta su liame esaelp ,dne gnignellahc dna tnatropmi siht ot noitubirtnoc tnatropmi na ekam ot dna "ecioVmoc.ecioveegufereht.www etisbew ruo no su tuoba erom nrael nac uoy ,noitidda nI .moc.ecioveegufereht@reetnulov

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Isaac: "Sudan is a third world country and so is Ethiopia. But at least they have a policy regarding refugees. They dont have the ability to help them so they drive them out in the first place."Bar-On: "But thats the Israeli way: 'Well see what happens, its the same story with the territories. We ignore the problem and say to ourselves, 'some-thing will happen and a solution will present itself. Its the Israeli mentality. In the long run its a problem."Because we are blackIsaac: "What I see is that Israeli society opposes our presence."Bar-On: "Im not sure we oppose you on a general basis. Its extremists that you see and hear, but most of us real-ize that we have a common problem."Isaac: "What is the main cause of the current crisis?"Bar-On: "I live in Shapira neighborhood. The main prob-lem is the feeling that there are simply too many of you. I do not know if this is statistically true, but the feeling is that the balance between the communities has been bro-ken. Also, we dont understand you sufficiently. I think that we dont do this often enough (talking toghether). Your voice as a community is absent. When you appear in the media, it shows the food queues run by 'Levinsky soup, it portrays you as weak. Thats how the media works. "Isaac: "Thats the reality, we are weak. You say the bal-ance has been broken. But it is visible because we are black, not because of our religion."Bar-On: "Yes, that is the sad truth."Isaac: "I ask people around the world, Italy, for example - over 30 thousand refugees have been coming there ev-ery summer for the past five years. So there was a crisis, and the government became upset, but they had a policy. The policy was unfair and the government unfriendly, but many people identified with the refugees. In Israel, besides a few angels with extremely limited resources, I dont see any demonstrations of support for us."Bar-On: "I think you have excellent advocates in the media. But when I observe my neighbors, they seem lost. They need someone to lead them. People like you, who have been here longer, do they help newcomers?"Isaac: "We have no resources to help others, we are in the exact same position as the newcomers. Maybe we

have a better understanding of the situation, but we have no power to save or help anyone."Bar-On: "I think if you had a leader, then you could par-ticipate in the discussion these days a great debate is being waged concerning your situation, but you are not part of it."Isaac: "So what now?"Bar-On: "Wow, I dont know. There is talk concerning a refugee camp. I dont believe it will happen. I think that eventually the Israeli society will have to incorporate you into itself. You are here to stay, your children will grow up here. You will become Israelis thats what I believe".Isaac: "I dont know about that, the government has al-ready started deporting Sudanese."Bar-On: "Yes, but I dont think that the Israeli society will be able to tolerate such scenes. I believe that real-ity is better than the depiction of the media. Tensions mount during periods with demonstrations, but day to day life is normal. I dont feel threatened in any way. But maybe Im not a good example. How do you feel? Are you feeling any different since the crisis began? "Isaac: "Of course"Bar-On: "Do you feel less comfortable in the streets?"Isaac: "There has been a change in the workplaces, some there feel uncomfortable, and so they fire people."Bar-On: "Yes, this is gray area. I myself dont under-stand who is authorized to work and who isnt. No one knows."Isaac: "The government is voicing itself strongly against the refugees, and this encourages citizens to make us feel unwanted."Bar-On: "I know this isnt comforting, but basically youre a scapegoat. You are the weakest link in the chain and therefore all the national frustration is directed against you. You dont deserve it.

This crisis will bring a solutionBar-on: Let me ask you, what happens when someone requires health services?Isaac: "Were 'status-less, and so we arent eligible for even basic human rights. We dont have health insur-ance. If a woman gives birth it is an emergency, so she goes to the hospital and receives treatment there."Bar-On: "And if youre just sick?"Isaac: "You have to pay. This is a problem because of our financial situation".Bar-On: "So in general what do you expect?"Isaac: "That the government will decide on a clear and consistent policy."Bar-On: "Do you want to be citizens? Residents?"Isaac: "No. We just want to live in dignity, something that every human being deserves. To have basic rights. Today anything can happen to us, there are no more surprises. People are dying in the streets".Bar-On: "Israelis claim that 'your own poor come first. This is what poor people here feel, that there is not enough money to also help you."Isaac: "The UNHCR (United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees) is responsible for refugees, and states that Israel has the means to deal with this crisis. So a solution must be presented."Bar-On: "I dont think its only international pressure. The kind people who give out soup, they are few but they have support. I believe that when the time comes you will witness this support. Perhaps, in an ironic way, this crisis will bring the solution because it exposes the problem".Isaac: "I hope so. But from my understanding, Israeli support is located in the political left. And the left has no power in the Knesset."Bar-On: "There are all kinds of power, not just politi-cal: money, culture, media. But maybe Im nave, maybe you are realistic and I am optimistic. I think youll have to learn Hebrew, because your children will be Israeli. I believe that there will be happy ending and that most of you will stay here and receive rights. However, I cant say I have a real basis for this theory. "

"You will become Israelis so I believe". Bar-On

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Isaac: "Sudan is a third world country and so is Ethiopia. But at least they have a policy regarding refugees. They dont have the ability to help them so they drive them out in the first place."Bar-On: "But thats the Israeli way: 'Well see what happens, its the same story with the territories. We ignore the problem and say to ourselves, 'some-thing will happen and a solution will present itself. Its the Israeli mentality. In the long run its a problem."Because we are blackIsaac: "What I see is that Israeli society opposes our presence."Bar-On: "Im not sure we oppose you on a general basis. Its extremists that you see and hear, but most of us real-ize that we have a common problem."Isaac: "What is the main cause of the current crisis?"Bar-On: "I live in Shapira neighborhood. The main prob-lem is the feeling that there are simply too many of you. I do not know if this is statistically true, but the feeling is that the balance between the communities has been bro-ken. Also, we dont understand you sufficiently. I think that we dont do this often enough (talking toghether). Your voice as a community is absent. When you appear in the media, it shows the food queues run by 'Levinsky soup, it portrays you as weak. Thats how the media works. "Isaac: "Thats the reality, we are weak. You say the bal-ance has been broken. But it is visible because we are black, not because of our religion."Bar-On: "Yes, that is the sad truth."Isaac: "I ask people around the world, Italy, for example - over 30 thousand refugees have been coming there ev-ery summer for the past five years. So there was a crisis, and the government became upset, but they had a policy. The policy was unfair and the government unfriendly, but many people identified with the refugees. In Israel, besides a few angels with extremely limited resources, I dont see any demonstrations of support for us."Bar-On: "I think you have excellent advocates in the media. But when I observe my neighbors, they seem lost. They need someone to lead them. People like you, who have been here longer, do they help newcomers?"Isaac: "We have no resources to help others, we are in the exact same position as the newcomers. Maybe we

have a better understanding of the situation, but we have no power to save or help anyone."Bar-On: "I think if you had a leader, then you could par-ticipate in the discussion these days a great debate is being waged concerning your situation, but you are not part of it."Isaac: "So what now?"Bar-On: "Wow, I dont know. There is talk concerning a refugee camp. I dont believe it will happen. I think that eventually the Israeli society will have to incorporate you into itself. You are here to stay, your children will grow up here. You will become Israelis thats what I believe".Isaac: "I dont know about that, the government has al-ready started deporting Sudanese."Bar-On: "Yes, but I dont think that the Israeli society will be able to tolerate such scenes. I believe that real-ity is better than the depiction of the media. Tensions mount during periods with demonstrations, but day to day life is normal. I dont feel threatened in any way. But maybe Im not a good example. How do you feel? Are you feeling any different since the crisis began? "Isaac: "Of course"Bar-On: "Do you feel less comfortable in the streets?"Isaac: "There has been a change in the workplaces, some there feel uncomfortable, and so they fire people."Bar-On: "Yes, this is gray area. I myself dont under-stand who is authorized to work and who isnt. No one knows."Isaac: "The government is voicing itself strongly against the refugees, and this encourages citizens to make us feel unwanted."Bar-On: "I know this isnt comforting, but basically youre a scapegoat. You are the weakest link in the chain and therefore all the national frustration is directed against you. You dont deserve it.

This crisis will bring a solutionBar-on: Let me ask you, what happens when someone requires health services?Isaac: "Were 'status-less, and so we arent eligible for even basic human rights. We dont have health insur-ance. If a woman gives birth it is an emergency, so she goes to the hospital and receives treatment there."Bar-On: "And if youre just sick?"Isaac: "You have to pay. This is a problem because of our financial situation".Bar-On: "So in general what do you expect?"Isaac: "That the government will decide on a clear and consistent policy."Bar-On: "Do you want to be citizens? Residents?"Isaac: "No. We just want to live in dignity, something that every human being deserves. To have basic rights. Today anything can happen to us, there are no more surprises. People are dying in the streets".Bar-On: "Israelis claim that 'your own poor come first. This is what poor people here feel, that there is not enough money to also help you."Isaac: "The UNHCR (United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees) is responsible for refugees, and states that Israel has the means to deal with this crisis. So a solution must be presented."Bar-On: "I dont think its only international pressure. The kind people who give out soup, they are few but they have support. I believe that when the time comes you will witness this support. Perhaps, in an ironic way, this crisis will bring the solution because it exposes the problem".Isaac: "I hope so. But from my understanding, Israeli support is located in the political left. And the left has no power in the Knesset."Bar-On: "There are all kinds of power, not just politi-cal: money, culture, media. But maybe Im nave, maybe you are realistic and I am optimistic. I think youll have to learn Hebrew, because your children will be Israeli. I believe that there will be happy ending and that most of you will stay here and receive rights. However, I cant say I have a real basis for this theory. "

"You will become Israelis so I believe". Bar-On

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CHILDREN WITHOUT A FATHER

"When my eldest daughter was born here in Israel, they didn't list me as her father, so with the second birth I insisted. I told them: 'My wife and I have a mar-riage certificate. She confirms that the baby is mine - so please list me as the father and I will pay the bill.'" But for P., an asylum seeker from Eritrea, his insistence didn't help: the "father's name" box on his second daughter's marriage certificate was also left blank.No Israeli couple has any problems when they come to the delivery room on the happiest day of their lives. Even couples that are not married can declare that the man is the father of their newborn baby - he will be immediately listed as the father on the birth certificate. But P. and thousands of other refugees who have started families in Israel are de-nied their most basic right: the right to be listed as the fathers of their children.The bureaucratic hurdles that asylum seeker fathers face starts on the day they leave the hospital, when the clerks refuse to fill the box labeled "father's name" on the baby's birth certificate. The refugees are told that they can challenge the decision if they take a paternity test which proves that the man is indeed the baby's father - an expensive exam far be-yond the financial reach of the refugees. In this way, the refugees are forced to undergo a series of humili-ations: the state casts doubt on the father's identity and leaves the child without a legal father."Beginning in 2010 we saw a policy change by the Interior Ministry. We discovered that they ad-opted a procedure to stop listing the fathers on the birth certificates," explains attorney Oded Peler of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), who is assisting a group of 40 asylum seekers in Jerusalem in their struggle to change the listing. "The claim is that there is no way to check whether the man is indeed the father, and so the listing will be con-ditioned on proof of paternity, which requires a court order and an expensive genetic exam." Att. Peler adds that this procedure is in violation of a High Court advisory ruling on this issue, and is adopted despite the fact that listing someone as the father in no way changes their status in Israel.C., an asylum seeker from Eritrea, tells how an Interior Ministry clerk humiliated him when he came to remedy the listing issue. "I told them to go ask my wife who the father is," he remembers, "the director told me: if you want to be listed as the baby's father - go back to your homeland. We don't know if you are or are not the father."

On the birth certificate of children of refugees in Israel there is only one empty box: the fathers name As opposed to Israeli fathers who are easily recognized as fathers of their children, the refugees are forced to undergo an expensive paternity test They told me: If you want to have your baby listed in your name, go back to your homeland says C., a refugee from Eritrea. We dont know if youre the father or not.

Hila Aloni, Konneh Vayabatee and Ousmane A. Sackor

Photograph by Tommy Harpaz

"They just don't believe that I have children"The refusal of the authorities to grant the asylum seekers a document attesting to the identity of the fa-ther has far-ranging consequences for the day-to-day lives of the refugees. "When I went to pay my Arnona (property tax) I said that I have two children, and so I can't pay the amount they wanted," says C. "I brought the documents, but because I'm not listed on the cer-tificates, they just didn't believe that I have two chil-dren - they didn't give me the discount." In case of a conflict between spouses, this policy also has severe implications. Asylum seekers say that they fear that in the case of a break-up, the mother will decide to take the children and they will lose all their rights.Ironically, the Interior Ministry's refusal to list the father's name makes it difficult for asylum seek-ers to leave the country. "My brother lives in Canada and he is recognized as a refugee there," says P. "He tried to get a visa for us so we could move there, and he asked that I send him all my documents. Things stalled when he saw that it doesn't say that I'm the father on my daughter's certificates. I have no way of proving that they are related to me."

The newborn child is not only denied an official father's name. They are also denied the correct family name. This is because the hospitals and the Interior Ministry refuse to write the father's family name. Be-yond this gross violation of the parents' rights to choose their children's names, this hurts the tra-ditional lifeways of the asylum seeker community. In the Eritrean community, for instance, it is cus-tomary that the child's family name be the father's first name. Only in cases of children born out of wedlock does the baby get his mother's family's name. In practice, Interior Ministry procedures cast an illusory mark of disgrace on entire families."My daughter's family name is my wife's name, they didn't write a single thing about me," says C. "In our culture, it is forbidden that the child's name go according to the woman's. It hurts family life.""Pay - or we won't release your wife"The father's name is not the only trouble that asylum seekers confront in the delivery room. Many refugees tell how hospitals threaten them that if they don't pay before the delivery, they won't receive treatment and they won't be given a birth certificate. This is a gross

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CHILDREN WITHOUT A FATHER

"When my eldest daughter was born here in Israel, they didn't list me as her father, so with the second birth I insisted. I told them: 'My wife and I have a mar-riage certificate. She confirms that the baby is mine - so please list me as the father and I will pay the bill.'" But for P., an asylum seeker from Eritrea, his insistence didn't help: the "father's name" box on his second daughter's marriage certificate was also left blank.No Israeli couple has any problems when they come to the delivery room on the happiest day of their lives. Even couples that are not married can declare that the man is the father of their newborn baby - he will be immediately listed as the father on the birth certificate. But P. and thousands of other refugees who have started families in Israel are de-nied their most basic right: the right to be listed as the fathers of their children.The bureaucratic hurdles that asylum seeker fathers face starts on the day they leave the hospital, when the clerks refuse to fill the box labeled "father's name" on the baby's birth certificate. The refugees are told that they can challenge the decision if they take a paternity test which proves that the man is indeed the baby's father - an expensive exam far be-yond the financial reach of the refugees. In this way, the refugees are forced to undergo a series of humili-ations: the state casts doubt on the father's identity and leaves the child without a legal father."Beginning in 2010 we saw a policy change by the Interior Ministry. We discovered that they ad-opted a procedure to stop listing the fathers on the birth certificates," explains attorney Oded Peler of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), who is assisting a group of 40 asylum seekers in Jerusalem in their struggle to change the listing. "The claim is that there is no way to check whether the man is indeed the father, and so the listing will be con-ditioned on proof of paternity, which requires a court order and an expensive genetic exam." Att. Peler adds that this procedure is in violation of a High Court advisory ruling on this issue, and is adopted despite the fact that listing someone as the father in no way changes their status in Israel.C., an asylum seeker from Eritrea, tells how an Interior Ministry clerk humiliated him when he came to remedy the listing issue. "I told them to go ask my wife who the father is," he remembers, "the director told me: if you want to be listed as the baby's father - go back to your homeland. We don't know if you are or are not the father."

On the birth certificate of children of refugees in Israel there is only one empty box: the fathers name As opposed to Israeli fathers who are easily recognized as fathers of their children, the refugees are forced to undergo an expensive paternity test They told me: If you want to have your baby listed in your name, go back to your homeland says C., a refugee from Eritrea. We dont know if youre the father or not.

Hila Aloni, Konneh Vayabatee and Ousmane A. Sackor

Photograph by Tommy Harpaz

"They just don't believe that I have children"The refusal of the authorities to grant the asylum seekers a document attesting to the identity of the fa-ther has far-ranging consequences for the day-to-day lives of the refugees. "When I went to pay my Arnona (property tax) I said that I have two children, and so I can't pay the amount they wanted," says C. "I brought the documents, but because I'm not listed on the cer-tificates, they just didn't believe that I have two chil-dren - they didn't give me the discount." In case of a conflict between spouses, this policy also has severe implications. Asylum seekers say that they fear that in the case of a break-up, the mother will decide to take the children and they will lose all their rights.Ironically, the Interior Ministry's refusal to list the father's name makes it difficult for asylum seek-ers to leave the country. "My brother lives in Canada and he is recognized as a refugee there," says P. "He tried to get a visa for us so we could move there, and he asked that I send him all my documents. Things stalled when he saw that it doesn't say that I'm the father on my daughter's certificates. I have no way of proving that they are related to me."

The newborn child is not only denied an official father's name. They are also denied the correct family name. This is because the hospitals and the Interior Ministry refuse to write the father's family name. Be-yond this gross violation of the parents' rights to choose their children's names, this hurts the tra-ditional lifeways of the asylum seeker community. In the Eritrean community, for instance, it is cus-tomary that the child's family name be the father's first name. Only in cases of children born out of wedlock does the baby get his mother's family's name. In practice, Interior Ministry procedures cast an illusory mark of disgrace on entire families."My daughter's family name is my wife's name, they didn't write a single thing about me," says C. "In our culture, it is forbidden that the child's name go according to the woman's. It hurts family life.""Pay - or we won't release your wife"The father's name is not the only trouble that asylum seekers confront in the delivery room. Many refugees tell how hospitals threaten them that if they don't pay before the delivery, they won't receive treatment and they won't be given a birth certificate. This is a gross

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