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The last hold-out residents of the Segaiya shantytown were forced by the government to leave on February 23, 2005 after over 40 years. It's residents, mainly of Persian origin, were first moved there after their straw houses live in in Adliya burned down in a fire. It was supposed to be a short-term solution, but lasted decades. They lived in wooden huts, which were infested with rats and insects, even through Bahrain's boom times. Most of them were eventually given 50 homes in Tubli but the families had grown in number over the years as new generations were born and started their own families. As of this writing (May 19), they still live there, with some of the two-bedroom houses accommodating over 10 people. Forty years later, some are still begging for homes and passports.
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Passport to a Secure Future
BY TARIQ KHONJI |
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I've been covering the plight of the Segaiya shantytown families for almost two years now, but I don't think I've succeeded in getting the full story across in the way that I should have. It's sometimes difficult with news stories, which focus on the latest developments, to highlight the root cause of a particular problem. Why is it that these people were unable to improve their lives in the over 60 years that their families have been living here? Bahrain has gone through some amazingly good economic times, especially in the 1970s, when almost any business idea couldn't go wrong. The rural culture of some Bahrainis may have prevented them from taking advantage of opportunities available over the last few decades, but I don't believe this is the case in this specific situation. The shantytown, referred to locally as 'Al Dafna' and 'Mexico City', was never too far off from civilisation and the inhabitants had every motive to improve their lives. We have a teeny, tiny leak in the corner of our house, which we consider unacceptable, so I can't imagine what it must have been like for them when it rained. Although none can be considered rich, many of the former shantytown residents did all right for themselves for a long time, as is evidenced by the satellite dishes which used to poke out of their huts and the cars parked outside. Some were even able to afford housemaids. So why is it that so many in Bahrain were able to became fabulously rich over the years while these people continued to live in these conditions? The answer boils down to one word: passports. Think about it. Without a passport you can't be officially employed. You can't own property. You can't start a business legally. Travelling is a nightmare. In fact, there is very little you can do if you can't prove you belong to a country. The irony is, the country would have also benefited from solving their problem. Think of the good that would have come out of naturalising these people, say 15 years ago. They would have been eligible to apply for government housing long ago and would not today still be begging for homes. Some would undoubtedly have started companies. The land they were illegally living on would have been developed, perhaps into residential buildings, shops or a public park. We'd have been rid of one of Bahrain's worst eyesores years ago and we'd all have felt less guilty every time we drove by Segaiya. Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that "everyone has the right to a nationality". A passport should be granted to any person living in a particular country for a certain number of years, regardless of race or religion. Most of the shantytown dwellers were given passports three years ago but a few are still waiting and they don't know why.
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