Hong Kong's undocumented children need our care and attention

The tragic death of an unhappy 15-year-old girl who jumped from her Repulse Bay home unveiled the situation of children in our city without identity.

Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child calls for every child to be registered immediately after birth and to have the right to a name and nationality. It says governments should ensure the implementation of these rights, otherwise the child would be stateless. Yet, this issue seldom comes to our attention because these children are usually "invisible".

Last June, I went to a talk and book launch. Dr Nicole Constable, the author of , spent years interviewing female migrant workers in Hong Kong. It isn't rare to find children born out of wedlock remaining in Hong Kong with their overstayed mothers, with no identity, health and welfare benefits, and no opportunity to go to school. It is difficult to imagine how one can survive without an identity in a modern city like ours.

The policy on migrant workers needs to be reviewed in all aspects. It is not simply an issue of jobs and the shortage of local labour in caring for children, the elderly and the needy. Authorities need to look at the situations of these invisible children and offer support before their childhood is over.

The case also revealed that the monitoring mechanism on children's right to birth registration needs to be improved between hospitals and the Immigration Department. Currently, if the department received notification from a hospital about a birth, it would issue a letter to remind the parents to register the child and a follow-up letter 42 days later.

Hong Kong needs a Child Commission to champion for children whose voice is too weak to be heard.