A passport, after 22 years spent living in the shadows
A Sri Lankan woman who has lived in the UAE without legal documents for 22 years has finally obtained a passport, with the extension of the visa amnesty giving her hope of keeping her family together.
Azliya, 46, has been forced to live in the shadows with her four daughters, aged between 13 and 20, who have never had passports or identification papers despite all being born in the country.
Her husband took her passport to use as security with a money lender back in 1996, before fleeing the country to Kerala to escape creditors in 2005.
Azliya had to pick up the pieces for her fractured family, who were left with her abusive husband’s huge debts, mounting loans of her own and the constant fear that their illegal status would be uncovered.
To keep her family afloat, she worked as a home tutor for children in Jumeirah, Dubai, where she shared a villa with other families.
“I must keep working for my children and me to survive,” Azliya said. “Sometimes I think it’s better my husband is not here because he created our financial problems.
“He left my passport with a money lender so he could borrow money. He sold my jewellery, took everything.
“After he left, he never called to find out about the girls. People would come to the door asking for his money.
“I had to insist it was not my debt. I had to be strong for my children.
“I was scared, always scared that someone would ask for my papers. I could not send my children to school but I taught them at home. We lived a decent, respectable life.”
While Azliya has worked tirelessly to ensure her children have had some education by teaching them at home, their health continues to be a major concern for her.
One of her children needs medical attention for recurring pain caused by kidney stones while another has discovered a lump on her chest. A third has debilitating anaemia.
Her children were vaccinated when younger and have been for medical check-ups. But since the Emirates ID card became mandatory two years ago, they have been unable to book appointments with doctors.
The family’s illegal status was uncovered last year when an anonymous tip to the child protection services department took police and government social welfare officials to her door.
Azliya finally received her passport on Monday, a day before the amnesty visa scheme was extended, after receiving support from the Sri Lankan consulate to finalise her status in the country.
With Dh65,000 in debts from loans, Azliya hopes a good Samaritan will come forward to rescue the family
She has started the process of applying for a six-month visa and aims to find a sponsor and a job as soon as possible. Azliya has also been asked by immigration authorities to submit a statement about her daughters.
Despite the amnesty extension, she worries there may not be enough time left for her children because they still lack identity papers. She could only begin their legalisation procedure after getting her own passport.
George Hettiaratchy, who works with the Sri Lankan Welfare Association, has worked with consular officials to help the family.
“This case will have to be approached on a humanitarian basis,” Mr Hettiaratchy said. “It is a very complicated case because they stayed here illegally for all these years. It will take time because they have no proof of identity.”
The family is also deep in debt after struggling to pay their rent. Income from Azliya’s tuition dried up when they were forced to moved to an apartment in Al Quoz where few families with children required teaching.
She paid her rent by asking relatives for loans, then borrowed more money from money lenders when credit from the family ran out.
Under UAE law, if a complaint is made against parents for not sending their children to school, authorities are entitled to investigate.
The family was interviewed and Azliya was advised to obtain birth certificates and identity documents for the girls.
“I explained that I was not abusing my children by keeping them home,” she said. “I told them my story. They guided me and said I should get birth certificates made for the girls.”
Today, Azliya’s flat is filled with furniture donated by families of children she has helped to teach. Items include sofas, a bunk bed, a television and maths and English textbooks.
Her daughters have largely kept to themselves to avoid any questions about why they were not in school. They can read, write and speak English, Hindi, and Malayalam, understand Arabic and have been taught maths.
They followed a schedule of studying during the day and playing outdoors in the evening. They have never been out of the UAE, only making a few short trips to Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah when they had the funds.
“From childhood I saw my mum suffering,” said one of Azliya’s daughters, aged 19. “I have seen how my father used to beat her. He would drink a lot. He would beat us also.
“Yes, we would have liked to go to school but we never asked why because we have seen the bad things she has been through.”
Now the daughters are able to pitch in to help. The eldest bakes layered vanilla sponge cakes with cream icing in the shape of Barbie dolls, Minions and footballs for anniversaries and birthdays.
The family has also approached the Indian consulate because the girls want to find out if they are eligible for citizenship because their father is Indian.
Consular officials said it could take months to obtain new passports for people with no identity papers who have never lived in Sri Lanka.
With Dh65,000 in debt from loans, Azliya hopes a good Samaritan will come forward to rescue the family just as officials and volunteers helped to legalise her status.
“There is a lot of tension because of the money I owe to pay rent and electricity bills,” she said. “I explain to my children that this is our fate now.
“I feel I am in the same state like years ago when my husband left. But my children have a positive mind and tell me that I must too. I can work hard. I believe the future will be different.”