VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (AP SCPCR) has called for comprehensive administrative reforms to make the father’s name non-mandatory in government forms and official records wherever it is not legally required, emphasising that no child should be denied education, identity documents, welfare benefits, or essential services due to the absence of paternal details.
Addressing a state-level workshop on ‘Making Father’s Name Non-Mandatory,’ jointly organised by the Children of India Foundation and AP SCPCR in Vijayawada, the Chairperson highlighted that every child is an independent rights-holder whose dignity and future should not be determined by family circumstances or social position.
The Commission noted that mandatory father-name requirements often create unnecessary bureaucratic barriers for single mothers, widows, divorced women, survivors of trafficking, and children under guardianship, forcing them to repeatedly disclose sensitive family situations.
Referring to United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) principles, the SCPCR urged departments—including School Education, Women and Child Development, Health, Revenue, and Social Welfare—to review application forms and online portals. AP State Commission for Women Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja echoed the need for departmental convergence to secure a comprehensive Government Order.
The consultation recommended accepting mothers’ or legally recognised guardians’ names as valid alternatives, issuing clear grassroots-level instructions, protecting children from social stigma and privacy breaches, and establishing robust grievance-redressal mechanisms.