[ad_1]
Late on Tuesday night, the boys flew back to their mother in Kerala, India.
Khaleej Times learned that the immigration authorities in Sharjah have pardoned two Indian underage boys for overstaying in fines of nearly AED 167,000.
According to the social worker who has been helping them, the 17- and 12-year-old brothers are from Kerala and flew back to their mother on Tuesday.
Wearing black hoodies and baseball caps, the brothers shared their ordeal before flying to India on Tuesday.
Please also read:
>> 30-day grace period after cancellation of UAE visa: everything you need to know
The adolescent boys said that they had lived in the UAE for four years without proper documentation. “We stopped going to school in 2017,” brother AM (hiding his name to protect his identity) told Khaleej Times.
In September last year, during a brief amnesty initiated by the UAE authorities during Covid-19, the boy’s mother went to India.
“Our father had several financial difficulties. After a while, he found it difficult to provide us with food and medical services,” said the 17-year-old.
AM said they were a happy family until 2008.
The brothers study in an Indian curriculum school in Sharjah. My elder brother speaks fluent Arabic when he studies in Arabic courses from kindergarten to third grade.
“Our mother kept us by his father’s side, hoping that we could get better opportunities and education. Unfortunately, since she left, the situation has gotten worse,” AM said.
In July of this year, the boys found police officers at Al Wasit Sharjah Police Station.
Nasser Olagara, chairman of the UAE branch of the Kerala Child Protection Group (CPT), said the police handed over the boys to the Sharjah Indian Association.
Social worker intervention
EP Johnson, President of the Sharjah Indians Association, explained: “These boys came to our office about two weeks ago. I am familiar with their case because we repatriated their mother with the help of the Indian Consulate General in Dubai.
“Although this is an internal family affair, our first priority is the well-being of these children. The boys gave us a written complaint, and our PRO Srihari worked with social workers, including CPT officials, and arranged protection for them And financial support facilities.”
Olagara said that the boy’s passport had expired.
Johnson added: “With the help of the immigration authorities, the Sharjah police and the Indian Consulate General in Dubai, we were able to settle their debts and issue passes for them to travel.”
Shafeel Kannur, secretary of the UAE CPT, said that they received a boy’s transfer certificate from the school they attended. Markaz, a social group in Kerala, has offered to sponsor them to continue their studies. “
Please also read:
The children’s mother, RM, told Khaleej Times over the phone from India: “It’s done. I don’t want to look at the past, I want to educate my children.”
AM said he wanted to return to the UAE one day.
“I want to be an Islamic scholar and be a policeman. My brother wants to be a veterinarian. We look forward to a brighter future.”
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
Danusha Gukulan
Dhanusha Gokulan is from India and has been working as a journalist for more than ten years. For Khaleej Times, she reports on NRI affairs, civil aviation and immigration issues. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism, economics and English literature from Mangalore University in 2008, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in contemporary media leadership and innovation at the American University in Dubai. In her spare time, she gets involved in singing/song writing, loves food, and is the mother of an over-enthusiastic Labrador Retriever. On her Twitter @shootsprintrite.
[ad_2]
Source link