Filenews 11 June 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The Ministry of Interior will proceed with a change in the legislation regarding the issue of the recognition of children out of wedlock, following the latest cases of mass applications from mothers from African countries with the father being Cypriot or European.
Because, as it is today, the law does not oblige the person who declares to be the father of a child out of wedlock or cohabitation to give DNA for identification purposes, the Ministry of Interior will submit a bill, according to information from "F", according to which someone will be obliged, in cases where there are reasonable suspicions that this is not a genuine case, to give a DNA sample for the purpose of testing.
In recent times, dozens of cases of recognition of children by Cypriot or European citizens are being investigated by the Police, after suspicions were raised in the District Administrations that something suspicious may be happening. In all cases the mothers came from Cameroon or Congo. In fact, to investigate these cases, a joint team has been set up at the ICF Police Headquarters by members of the department, the Aliens Service and the Anti-Trafficking Office. Eight cases have already been examined by this group, while several others are being examined at the provincial level.
According to information from the Police Headquarters, already four cases of illegal adoption of children have been registered with the Nicosia Court, while the other four are being investigated. As it was found, women who gave birth to children in Cyprus, find Cypriots and for a fee (mainly €1,000) convince them to declare that the child is theirs.
The authorities also brought to the attention the case of a Cypriot citizen who identified six children out of six different women, all of African origin, as being their normal father. This case is examined, as are other similar ones, to determine whether the father has contact with his children, whether he knows the mothers, how he met them, etc. However, as he does not undergo a DNA test, it is considered a genuine case.
As it has been observed, after the recognition of children by Cypriots or Europeans, mothers submit claims for benefits and permanent residence in Cyprus after they have had a child with a beneficiary.
However, according to the same information, the District Administrations have been instructed by the Ministry of Interior, such as in cases where there are reasonable suspicions that fraud may be behind a child identification, then they should be investigated by the police authorities.
