UNHCR document plan ensures rights of returnee children in Angola
Published: 16/Nov/2007
Source: UNHCR
LUANDA, Angola, November 16 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has completed a vital step in reintegrating the Angolan refugees who returned this decade, ensuring that their children receive the national identity documents needed to enjoy the rights of citizenship.
With nearly 90,000 children registered for cédulas – the Angolan birth registration cards – the relatively few remaining to be included will be handled solely by the Angolan government. The final total receiving documents through the programme is expected to be more than 100,000 Angolans under the age of 18.
“Without documentation, especially of children, reintegration remained an empty word in terms of access to rights, making them into non-persons,” said Dario Carminati, UNHCR’s representative in Angola. Lack of a cédula can block access to education and medical services available to other citizens.
Read further on UNHCR website.