ISI Database on Statelessness and
Human Rights

37. The Committee notes with appreciation that the delegation underscored the importance of birth registration, but it is deeply concerned at the fact that a very large number of children are neither registered at birth nor at a later stage. 

38. In the light of article 7 of the Convention, the Committee urges the State party to strengthen and further develop measures to ensure that all children born within the
national territory are registered by, inter alia, making birth registration easy and free and by introducing mobile units, especially in rural and remote areas and IDP camps. The
Committee further urges the State party to proceed with the registration of those children who have thus far not been registered.

[...]

81. The Committee is concerned at the situation of children belonging to minorities, including Batwa children, in particular with regard to their limited access to basic social
services, including health care and education, and the violation of their rights to survival and development, to enjoy their own culture and to be protected from discrimination.

[...]

(b) Adopt adequate means and measures to ensure that Batwa communities, including children, are provided with information regarding birth registration procedures, access to health-care facilities and education.

36. In light of article 7 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party implement an efficient birth registration system, at all stages free of charge and fully covering its territory including introducing mobile birth registration units and undertaking awareness-raising campaigns to reach the most remote areas of its territory. The Committee requests the State party to improve access to the birth registration system for children belonging to nomadic minorities. Meanwhile, children whose births have not been registered and who are without official documentation should be allowed to access basic services, such as health and education, while waiting to be properly registered.

27. The Committee reiterates its concerns about deficiencies in the implementation of the child’s right to immediate registration after birth. The Committee notes with particular concern that a fee imposed upon registration of a newborn child can cause financial obstacles for poor families and tends to delay if not prevent birth registrations. In addition, delays in birth registrations are subject to additional fees.

28. The Committee recommends the State party implement an efficient and at all stages free-of-charge birth registration system, which covers its territory fully, including through introducing mobile birth registration units and awareness-raising campaigns to reach the most remote areas of its territory.

[...]

57. In the light of article 22 and other relevant provisions of the Convention, the Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.48, para. 26) that the State party accede to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, to develop specific asylum legislation, which should include particular provisions on the protection and treatment of asylum-seeking children, especially those who are unaccompanied and separated and that it accede to the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

41. While noting that birth registration is mandatory by law, the Committee is concerned that despite the efforts of the State party, the low rate of birth registration remains a problem, particularly in rural areas, and has been exacerbated by the conflict which has reduced the ability of local authorities to carry out “public administration services”, including birth registration. The Committee is concerned that children who have not been registered at birth are more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, including recruitment into armed groups, as their ages
cannot be established. 

42. The Committee is also concerned that many groups of children are not registered and/or are ineligible for Nepalese citizenship, with gravely negative consequences on the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms by those children, in particular, the right to know and be cared for by parents. The Committee is particularly concerned that under the current provisions of the Birth, Death and other Personal Incidences (Vital Registration) Act of 1976 a mother may experience difficulties in registering her child, and similarly, the Citizenship Act of 1964 does not allow a child to claim nationality with his/her mother’s name. As a consequence, children born to foreign fathers, abandoned children, orphans, children born to single mothers and children from the Badi community who may not be able to identify their fathers are unable to obtain citizenship. In addition, the Committee expresses concern that birth registration of Bhutanese refugees is not carried out by the authorities.

43. In the light of article 7 of the Convention, the Committee urges the State party to increase its efforts, including awareness-raising campaigns, to ensure the registration of all children at birth. In this regard, the Committee recommends that the State party ensure that local government authorities, which are entrusted with the task of birth registration, actively engage with the local communities to ensure that births are registered in a timely and effective manner. In this regard, the Committee urges the State party to seek assistance from, inter alia, UNICEF, non-governmental organizations and other members of the civil society. 

44. The Committee further recommends the State party to amend, as a matter of priority, the relevant legislation, most notably the Birth, Death and other Personal Event (Vital Registration) Act of 1976, the Citizenship Act of 1964 and articles 9 (1), (2) and (5) of the Constitution to ensure full compliance with articles 7 and 8 of the Convention. The Committee also urges the State party to, as a matter of priority, review its policy regarding birth registration of refugee children and ensure that all children of refugees and asylum-seekers born in the State party are issued with birth certificates.

[...]

78. The Committee welcomes the adoption in August 2004 of an official policy that is grounded on the principle of non-refoulement, but it regrets that the State party has not yet ratified the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, and that there is no domestic legislation that covers the rights of refugees and asylum-seeking persons. In this regard, and given the fact that a large population of these persons are children the Committee is concerned about: ...

[...]

80. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Ratify, as a matter of priority, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; 

(b) Seek to ensure, as a matter of priority, that all internally displaced, refugee and asylum-seeking children and their families have access to health and education services, and that all their rights contained in the Convention are protected, including the right to be registered at birth;

33. While noting the estimated increase in the birth registration rate and the measures taken by the State party in this respect, including the Unregistered Children Project conducted in collaboration with PLAN International and the National Statistics Office, the Committee remains concerned at the difficulties in ensuring timely birth registration of children, in particular children belonging to religious or other minority groups or indigenous peoples and children living in the remote areas of the country and at the fact that birth registration is not free of charge and not equally accessible to all parents in the entire territory of the State party. The Committee also expresses its concern about the simulation of birth certificates.

34. In order to secure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by children and to achieve 100 per cent birth registration, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to develop an efficient and at all stages free of charge birth registration system, which covers its territory fully, including through using more effectively mobile birth registration units to reach the most remote areas of its territory. The Committee requests the State party to pay particular attention to improved access to an early birth registration for parents whose children were born out of wedlock and parents belonging to religious or other minorities or indigenous peoples.

35. The Committee recommends to the State party that it introduce awareness-raising campaigns aimed at changing public attitudes and sensitizing parents, maternity clinics and hospitals, midwives and traditional birth attendants, in order to achieve better birth registration coverage in the country. In addition, the Committee recommends that the State party deepen its cooperation with the international agencies and non-governmental institutions in this respect. The Committee recommends that the State party take effective measures against simulation of birth certificates, inter alia, by assigning a governmental body, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to monitor the implementation of relevant provisions and file all simulation cases. The Committee also recommends to the State party that it launch an information campaign, particularly at the local level, on the child’s right to identity at birth and on growing up in a family.

36. With reference to the high number of overseas Philippine workers, the Committee is concerned about children born abroad to Philippine migrant workers. Due to the non-registration of these children, they are deprived of their right to name, nationality and identity as well as basic services. 

37. The Committee recommends to the State party that it encourage and facilitate parents, irrespective of their residence status, to register their children born abroad. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that unregistered children without official documentation are allowed access to basic services, such as health and education, while waiting to be properly registered. In addition, the Committee recommends to the State party that it raise awareness among parents about the need and value of birth registration.

32. While the Committee welcomes the massive campaigns for birth registration undertaken, it continues to be concerned that there is still a lack of institutional capacity in the Civil Registry System and that a quite consistent group of children are still not legally registered due to administrative, legal and cultural causes.

33. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation urging the State party take all possible steps to ensure immediate registration of the births of all children, and to promote and facilitate the registration of those children who were not registered at birth, in the light of article 7 of the Convention. In particular, the State party should modernize and ensure the proper operation and maintenance of the Civil Registry System, including by providing it with the necessary resources.

39. The Committee is still very concerned (see CRC/C/15/Add.102, para. 20) at the lack of birth registration of a significant number of children, which has negative consequences for the full enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms.

40. The Committee recommends that the State party take appropriate measures to ensure the registration of all births, in accordance with article 7 of the Convention, such as by organizing awareness-raising campaigns for birth registration, establishing civil registration mechanisms in hospitals, as well as encouraging the use of mobile registration units, particularly in remote and rural areas.