{"id":32487,"date":"2021-07-06T10:44:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T10:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/?p=32487"},"modified":"2021-07-26T10:48:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T10:48:25","slug":"background-note-on-sex-discrimination-in-birth-registration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citizenshiprightsafrica.org\/en\/background-note-on-sex-discrimination-in-birth-registration\/","title":{"rendered":"Background Note on Sex Discrimination in Birth Registration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Birth registration is a fundamental right and an enabler of other <\/span><\/span>rights as it bestows a legal identity<\/span><\/span><\/span> on children for life. If a child is <\/span><\/span>not registered, they do not officially exist and are vulnerable to <\/span><\/span>violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Without birth registration, a child may not be able to go to school, receive medical <\/span><\/span>treatment or benefit from social services. The absence of registration can also lead to <\/span><\/span>statelessness.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Yet, despite its importance, the births of millions of children around the <\/span><\/span>world are not registered.<\/span><\/span><\/span> A multitude of factors can impede birth registration, <\/span><\/span>including parents\u2019 lack of knowledge of its importance, financial considerations and <\/span><\/span>practical barriers to accessing birth registration facilities. <\/span><\/span><\/span> Beyond these factors, <\/span><\/span>discrimination impeding women\u2019s ability to register the birth of children is also a critical <\/span><\/span>barrier. Such sex discrimination may be codified in national legislation and regulations, <\/span><\/span>or may relate to practices based on cultural norms. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Under the umbrella of <\/span><\/span>The Coalition on Every <\/span><\/span>Child\u2019s Right to a Nationality<\/span><\/span>, UNICEF and UNHCR <\/span><\/span>have produced this background note to explore <\/span><\/span>the issue of sex discrimination in birth <\/span><\/span>registration. <\/span><\/span><\/span> By providing an overview and <\/span><\/span>country specific examples<\/span><\/span> of the kinds of <\/span><\/span>legislative provisions<\/span><\/span><\/span> and cultural norms that can <\/span><\/span>negatively affect women\u2019s ability to register the <\/span><\/span>birth of their children, it is hoped that it will <\/span><\/span>support advocacy efforts, and action by States, <\/span><\/span>that advance a number of the Coalition\u2019s <\/span><\/span>objectives, including: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n