A very informative interview by Bloombury Legal and Steve Valdez-Symonds Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme Director, Amnesty International UK
Watch the YouTube Video here:
Link to Article: https://prcbc.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ianl-reasserting-rights-to-british-citizenship-through-registration-34.2.pdf
More often than not, British Overseas Territories people and their descendants are viewed by those in the UK and Government as secondary to those born in mainland UK. It is an ignorant perception by those in power. We are "Just as British" as anyone from mainland UK. Sadly, this translates into hurtful and demeaning discrimination that prevents a child from fully embracing its parent's homeland. Thus, gaining official citizenship recognition is key to a good and balanced development of our cultural identity.
No law should ever dictate to a child that one part of its parent's DNA or Family Tree is invalid when it comes to getting nationality & citizenship recognition. For governments to pick and chose who they exclude is plain wrong. It has profound ramifications.
We Children, who are now adults, born outside of marriage ("illegitimately") to British Overseas Territories born parents, are through the British Overseas Territories Citizenship Campaign "BOTC Campaign" www.botccampaign.org (since 2014) are asserting our rights in the Nationality and Borders Bill 2021 to be recognized.
We will have the right to claim citizenship by descent recognition from the UK Government (who call all the nationality & citizenship shots) from our British Overseas Territories born unmarried Fathers, before 1 July 2006 and mothers born before 1 January 1983. This change in law will place us on equal footing with mainland UK children who had the same right recognized under Section 65 Immigration Act 2014 that amended the British Nationality Act 1981.
When it comes to nationality laws, the sense of British fair play has been and is seriously lacking! Our campaign is about family reunification and is just as valid as other social justice campaigns. Disappointingly our issue for years was seen by such groups as niche and not worthy of the loudest voice being heard. Even now, it is either totally ignored or mentioned in general terms as a secondary by them. We believe it deserves equal time.