From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Mar 02 2009 - 09:23:31 EST
March 1, 2009
Soldier’s ‘daughter’ is denied passport Mother seeks citizenship for child
fathered in Eritrea Martina Padwick in Eritrea, with her mother Martha
Zenebech Woldu Hagos who claims she was fathered by Irish peacekeeping
soldier Martin Padwick
Tom Lyons and John Mooney
An Eritrean woman has revealed that her five-year-old child is the daughter
of an Irish soldier who was on peacekeeping duty in the country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has refused to issue a passport to Martina
Padwick, whose mother says she is the daughter of Martin Padwick, a soldier
from Cork who served with the United Nations in the east African country
until December 2002 and died soon after his return to Ireland.
“I have tried to get a passport for Martina but the Irish government won’t
help,” said Martha Woldu Hagos, who met Padwick while working in the kitchen
at the UN compound in Asmara, the Eritrean capital.
“I was three months pregnant when Martin left and then I found out that he
died. It has been tough. Sometimes, I think I should give my baby away as an
orphan, but I can’t. Martin was a good man. He would not have wanted this to
happen to his child,” she said.
The existence of the child, and possibly others fathered by Irish troops who
served with UNMEE (United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea), has been
known to the government since 2004. The Department of Foreign Affairs has
declined to issue a passport to Martina Padwick although it has been
provided with affidavits and documents to support her claim to Irish
citizenship.
Officials have asked Hagos to “establish by formal means” the identity of
her daughter’s father. She has been urged to consider “seeking private legal
advice” in Ireland and told she would need to produce a birth certificate.
The department is not taking on board a comment by an Eritrean court that
referred to Padwick as the girl’s father. It said: “It is not clear from the
order what, if any, paternity evidence was presented to and considered by
the court”.
“I have tried everything but they won’t help me,” said Hagos. “It has been
very difficult. My daughter is Irish. I don’t have any money. I have
nobody.”
A number of former soldiers who served with UNMEE in Asmara agree that the
child is likely to have been fathered by Padwick. Valerie O’Brien, a former
corporal who served alongside Padwick in Eritrea, said he had confided in
her that Hagos was carrying his child when he left UNMEE.
“I sat beside Martin on the flight home and he told me that Martha’s baby
was his. In fact, he said he planned to go back and look after the two of
them,” said O’Brien, who has since left the army.
“Martin and Martha were in a serious relationship. They used to spend a lot
of time together. I often met the two of them at the Asmara Palace hotel.
The army knew about the relationship but ignored it.”
Paddy Fogarty, a retired army sergeant who also served with UNMEE, said it
was common knowledge among Irish troops in Eritrea that Padwick had fathered
a child with an Eritrean woman. “Martha was invited to the remembrance mass
for Martin Padwick in the barracks [UN compound] after he died. She was in a
relationship with Martin and they cared about each other,” he said. “I
believe the child is Martin’s.”
An affidavit prepared by Aiden Padwick, a brother of the late soldier, also
acknowledges the child. He has offered to undergo DNA tests to support the
child’s right to citizenship.
A number of former soldiers and charity workers familiar with the case
believe the government may be embarrassed. “Under the UN code of conduct,
soldiers shouldn’t have relationships with the people they are supposed to
be protecting. The authorities are afraid of bad publicity,” said Fogarty.
John Weakliam, country director for Vita in Eritrea, an Irish charity that
is helping Hagos, has described the attitude of the Irish authorities as
dismissive.
“Martha and Martina are extremely poor but, worse than that, they have been
ostracized by their family and society,” said Weakliam, who says he knows of
other Eritrean women who became pregnant by Irish troops serving with UNMEE.
“I personally know of two others, but I have been reliably informed there
are quite a few more similar cases.”
Gavin Young, a spokesman for the Defence Forces, said the military was aware
of the case. “The lady concerned was a locally employed civilian who was
working in the camp. The initial contact came through us but we have no role
in applications for citizenship, so we referred the matter to the Department
of Foreign Affairs,” said Young, who added that it was not policy for
soldiers serving on UN missions to fraternise with local women.
Billy Timmins, the Fine Gael spokesman on foreign affairs, said he planned
to raise the case with Micheal Martin, the foreign affairs minister, as a
matter of urgency. “Any child that has Irish parents should be facilitated
with Irish citizenship. It would appear that a number of obstacles may have
been placed in the way of this case,” he said.
Brian O’Shea, the Labour party spokesman on military affairs, said he would
also ask Martin for an explanation.
“As far as I am concerned, if this child is entitled to Irish citizenship,
it should be granted. I would like the Department of Foreign Affairs to
explain what has happened,” he said.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman would not comment on details of
specific passport applications. She also declined to comment on the
department’s handling and knowledge of the case.