Worldwide, a quarter of all children under the age of five have not had their birth registered. This has far-reaching consequences.
The situation
Although every child has the right to be registered at birth and given a name and a nationality, a quarter of all children worldwide do not have a birth certificate. They have no legal existence and are therefore at higher risk of exploitation, abuse and violence. Unregistered children also find it difficult or impossible to access public education and medical care, and the law also places obstacles in their path later on in life. Adults without a birth certificate cannot apply for passports, exercise civil and voting rights, open bank accounts, acquire property, inherit or officially travel.
How UNICEF helps
People are not citizens until they have a birth certificate. It offers protection and confers rights. UNICEF supports the development of practical birth registration systems around the world, such as Rapid SMS. This system allows local health workers to register newborns quickly and easily via text message.
Specifically, UNICEF supports:
- appropriate legislation and lobbying for government budgets;
- training of staff, the creation of mobile teams and their integration into the healthcare system;
- reliable data backup processes;
- campaigns to raise public awareness;
- registration during vaccination campaigns;
- subsequent registration of children and young people;
- new and innovative solutions to improve the registration process so that it covers more children;
- reconstruction of administrative processes during and after armed conflicts.
You can help too.
By donating to UNICEF, you can give children a ticket to life. With CHF 100, you can help fund the registration of 32 children. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.