PLAN's Global Campaign To Register ALL Children



PLAN's Global Campaign To Register ALL Children From Katherine Albrecht kma@nocards.org 2-26-5

A group called "Plan" is demanding that all children worldwide be registered at birth. "Plan?" You couldn't make this stuff up. -Katherine Albrecht ================ Salient quotes: South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has helped launch a global campaign calling for governments to ensure all children are registered at birth.... "The unregistered child is a nonentity. The unregistered child does not exist." - Desmond Tutu The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child imposes an obligation on countries to register every child immediately after birth. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4289393.stm ================ Children that brought into the world without proper papers have difficulty getting access to education, health care and, later, have problems exercising their civil rights, according to an international children's organisation known as Plan... The group was founded in 1937 under the name Foster Parents Plan, but renamed as simply Plan in the 1990s. It is working in 40 countries to promote child registration. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1666323,00.html ================= South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Tuesday for the registration of every child in the world at birth, calling the measure a matter of life or death. [He made these statements at] a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=2aff547bf424fe85 ================= Plan USA's global campaign for all children to be registered at birth will be launched by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in New York on Tuesday, February. The campaign, "Write me down, make me real," calls on governments to register the 48 million children whose births go unrecorded each year. http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1935 ================= The British aid agency Plan released a 50-page report titled "Universal Birth Registration - A Universal Responsibility" to coincide with the campaign. http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=2422008 ================= (Apparently, the USA is not obligated to comply with these international requirements. -K.) In 1989, the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child imposed an obligation on countries to register every child immediately after birth. Sixteen years later, every country in the world has ratified the convention except the US and Somalia. http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=2422008 ================= On Plan's "WriteMeDown.com" website, you can register your support, nay, your emphatic demand (!) that governments tighten the rules on registering kids at birth. (Where's the "No, thanks" button?) -K. http://www.writemedown.com/ ================= More from the website: http://www.writemedown.com/issues/problem/ What obstacles must be overcome? Understanding the challenges... There is no single magic obstacle that can be removed, but the range of obstacles at a local, national and international level are solvable. At the local level these are: * Lack of awareness and motivation * Fear of discrimination and persecution * Incompatibility of birth registration with local realities * Lack of resources At the national level these are: * Lack of political will * Lack of resources * Legislative barriers At the international level these are: * Lack of recognition, support and priority * Lack of implementation and action ================== http://www.writemedown.com/research/obstacles/ Under its "Obstacles" section, Plan reports that: Plan in Uganda has found that most parents are unaware of the need to register a birth or do not realise its importance. It is viewed as something that government officials want them to do without knowing why. Some people think that the government has an ulterior motive for wanting to count children. Others believe that counting children is unlucky and could lead to death. (*Nod* Many people around the world would agree with this view. Based on the murderous records of governments in the 20th century, I am one of them. -K.) ==================== The excerpt above comes from the "Fear of discrimination and persecution" page on their website. Here is the whole content: Fear of Discrimination and Persecution http://www.writemedown.com/research/obstacles/ In some cases, presenting birth registration in terms of a governmental requirement, means that parents may feel justifiably scared or threatened if they do not understand how the information about them and their children will be used. Indeed, lack of trust is a major factor prohibiting minorities from feeling sufficiently empowered to approach authorities to register their children. Some ethnic or indigenous populations choose to be overlooked for fear that identification of their ethnic origin might lead to discrimination and persecution. This is because the information shown on a birth certificate varies from country to country. Typically, it will record the name of the child, the names of his/her parents, the name of the attending healthcare professional, midwife, birth attendant or other witness and the date and the place of birth. But in some countries it might also record information that can be used in a discriminatory way. By recording the parents' profession, for example, children may be discriminated against because of their caste or social class. Similarly, the child may be discriminated against if the marital status of their parents means that they are classified as illegitimate. Religious orientation or ethnic origin are also significant factors that provide a basis for discrimination and persecution. Plan in Uganda has found that most parents are unaware of the need to register a birth or do not realise its importance. It is viewed as something that government officials want them to do without knowing why. Some people think that the government has an ulterior motive for wanting to count children. Others believe that counting children is unlucky and could lead to death. In fact, fear of authorities and the legal process means that people are largely uninformed as to the birth registration process, procedures and requirements of their nation. Language is also a factor here, with governments failing to communicate the importance of birth registration and how to go about it in ways that can be understood by minority groups or illiterate members of society. ============================= PLAN reveals its teeth here: Lack of Implementation and Action Apart from the mechanism used by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, little pressure is put on nation states to ensure appropriate and effective civil registration systems. Countries that have ratified the CRC but have reservations about Article 7 are also not challenged.[x] This is because the issue of birth registration is rarely incorporated into international programs and policies, nor is it commonly made a conditionality of international aid and partnerships. Furthermore, the international community does not provide enough direct assistance in terms of resources to national governments for birth registration activities. http://www.writemedown.com/research/obstacles/ ============================= News articles cited above reprinted in their entirety here: Tutu calls for child registration http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4289393.stm South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has helped launch a global campaign calling for governments to ensure all children are registered at birth. He said it was a matter of life and death - an unregistered child did not officially exist and was vulnerable to traffickers and during disasters. In South Asia alone, there are no records for six out of every 10 babies, campaign organisers Plan say. The agency fears around half a billion children worldwide may be unregistered. Archbishop Tutu said a birth document was important because it "proves who you are". Without it children are often barred from education, health care and citizenship. "It is, in a very real sense, a matter of life and death," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York. "The unregistered child is a nonentity. The unregistered child does not exist. How can we live with the knowledge that we could have made a difference?" Cambodia success The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child imposes an obligation on countries to register every child immediately after birth. But Plan, the British agency organising the registration campaign, said that was not happening in many parts of the world. An unregistered child does not officially exist: Desmond Tutu In a report released to coincide with the campaign, Plan said no records existed for 60% of babies born annually in South Asia, and that 55% of births in sub-Saharan Africa go unrecorded. "Governments worldwide are failing the world's children, as millions of youngsters without a birth certificate find it very difficult to prove their age or nationality," said Thomas Miller, Plan's chief executive. "And parents whose children go missing during disasters like the tsunami or because they are abducted by traffickers may even be unable to get help with tracing their sons or daughters because they cannot prove the age of their children - or in many cases that their children even exist." He said a recent campaign in Cambodia - in which they registered 2.4 million people in less than four months - showed it could be done without incurring high costs. ============================= Desmond Tutu Promotes Birth Registration http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1935 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu will help Plan launch a Global Campaign for Birth Registration on February 22 in New York City. February 22, 2005 Tutu Launches Campaign for Half a Billion 'Lost' Children Children say "Write me down, make me real" to the world's leaders. NEW YORK -- Plan USA's global campaign for all children to be registered at birth will be launched by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in New York on Tuesday, February. The campaign, "Write me down, make me real," calls on governments to register the 48 million children whose births go unrecorded each year. The campaign will be officially launched by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Plan CEO Tom Miller at UN Headquarters in New York at 10.00 am on the 22 February 2005. According to Plan, no records exist for the births of six out of every ten babies born annually in South Asia. In sub-Saharan Africa, 55 per cent of all births go unrecorded every year. It is impossible to know how many unregistered children there are because they cannot be counted, says Plan; yet, best estimates put the number at more than half a billion. Plan's report, Universal Birth Registration - a Universal Responsibility, provides more information on this crisis. Tom Miller, Plan International's Chief Executive Officer said, "Governments worldwide are failing the world's children, as millions of youngsters without a birth certificate find it very difficult to prove their age or nationality. Children without birth certificates are far more likely to find themselves without access to education, health care, civil rights or inheritance laws. "And parents whose children go missing, during disasters like the tsunami or because they are abducted by traffickers, may even be unable get help with tracing their sons or daughters because they cannot prove the age of their children or in many cases that their children even exist." While a birth certificate alone is not a guarantee, registration helps identify and protect marginalized children. In today's world, with massive population movements and organized child trafficking, birth registration is more essential than ever. Plan is already working with local partners in over 40 countries worldwide to boost the rates of child registration, with some major successes. For example, in Cambodia, Plan's Mobile Registration Project, in partnership with the government and UN volunteers, has recently registered 1.5 million people in two months. It aims to register the whole population of some 13 million people in the coming year. In India, Plan has successfully registered 3.2 million children in the state of Orissa alone. ========================== Tutu launches bid to aid kids with no identity http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=2422008 February 23, 2005 Archbishop Desmond Tutu has launched a global campaign to record the birth of every child, saying nearly 50 million babies born every year were not registered, had no official identity and were often barred from education or health care. "It is, in a very real sense, a matter of life and death," he said yesterday. "The unregistered child is a nonentity. The unregistered child does not exist. How can we live with the knowledge that we could have made a difference?" In 1989, the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child imposed an obligation on countries to register every child immediately after birth. Sixteen years later, every country in the world has ratified the convention except the US and Somalia. But according to the latest figures from the Children's Fund, more than 48 million births each year - 36% of births worldwide - are not registered, the vast majority of them in developing countries. The British aid agency Plan released a 50-page report titled Universal Birth Registration - A Universal Responsibility to coincide with the campaign. Plan said it was impossible to know how many unregistered children there were because they could not be tallied. But it said estimates put the overall worldwide number at more than 500 million. Tutu told a news conference that a birth document "proves who you are" and that without one, children and adults were often barred from their rights to education, health care, citizenship and the right to vote. - Sapa-AP =============================== Desmond Tutu urges world child registration http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=2aff547bf424fe85 Big News Network.com Wednesday 23rd February, 2005 (UPI) South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Tuesday for the registration of every child in the world at birth, calling the measure a matter of life or death. An unregistered child does not officially exist and therefore vulnerable to traffickers and during disasters, so Tutu is taking part in a global campaign advocating child registration, the BBC reported. In South Asia alone, there are no records for six of every 10 babies, campaign organizers said. Tutu said a birth document proves who you are, and without it children are often barred from an education, healthcare and citizenship. It is, in a very real sense, a matter of life and death, Tutu told a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York. The unregistered child is a nonentity. The unregistered child does not exist. How can we live with the knowledge that we could have made a difference?

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