A recent Reuters file photo serves as an illustrative image for this topic.
Despite advancements in birth registration, Unicef cautioned on Tuesday that approximately 150 million children globally remain "invisible," lacking legal identity and facing the threat of statelessness and rights abuses. According to a new report by the UN children's agency, 77% of children under the age of five have had their births registered over the past five years, marking a two percentage point increase from 2019. However, despite these "significant strides," 150 million young children still remain in legal limbo due to non-registration, with an additional 50 million registered but lacking official birth certificates.
Birth certificates are vital for confirming a person's identity and age, which are often crucial for establishing nationality and safeguarding against issues such as child labor, forced marriage, or underage military recruitment. "Birth registration ensures children are immediately recognized under the law, providing a foundation for protection from harm and exploitation, as well as access to essential services like vaccines, healthcare, and education," stated Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell in a report summary.
"Despite progress, too many children remain uncounted and unaccounted for -- effectively invisible in the eyes of the government or the law," she added. Over half of these unregistered children are found in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 51% of young boys and girls are registered, according to the report. Unicef identified barriers to registration, including families' lack of awareness about the process, high costs, insufficient political commitment, and, in some areas, discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or religion.
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