There it was again, that line: “No, I’m afraid we can’t help you today madam, not without your passport and a proof of your address.” It was the line of the day, repeated now for the fifth time, by five different people, at five different organisations. But what was I trying to do? Persuade a Tesco’s cashier she wanted to sell me alcohol? Sneak into a club? Nope. I was trying to sort myself out with a life.
I don’t suppose you’ve ever considered how often you need to prove you’re ‘You’. ‘You’ daughter of Sally and Bill, ‘You’ member of St Mary’s College, ‘You’ of 26, Queens Road, ‘You’ of HSBC Bank, the list goes on… And I don’t suppose you’ve ever considered what would happen if you couldn’t prove you really are ‘You’. Or what would happen if your ‘You’ didn’t exist in other people’s eyes, or more importantly, the eyes of the government. Scary thought, huh?
But this is what happens every day to thousands of kids, dubbed the ‘Nowhere Children’, who live in Chennai, India and are the theme for this year’s World Vision 24 Hour Famine. Without a formal birth certificate or a place on government records, it is as if these children don’t exist. They have few rights, no chances and no opportunities. They risk being abused and exploited and are forced to go without many of life’s basic needs, such as clean safe water, shelter or regular nutritious meals. ‘No’ is the word they know best without ID, and ‘No’ was the word I heard again and again when I did a little experiment and put myself in their position, trying to get by without ID here in England.
|