Transcript Presentation on birth registration in Africa

BIRTH REGISTRATION AND ITS
ROLE IN
PREVENTING/ADDRESING
STATELESSNESS
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR
(Prof of Law, Community Law Centre)
1. Introduction
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Objective
The child rights imperative
A score card for the region?
Birth registration and statelessness: The
various scenarios
• Some food for thought
2. Objectives
• To draw link
• A “right from the start”- implications?
• contributing to the economic and social
development of a nation through creation
of a permanent demographic database
• Birth registration as an enabling right
• Birth registration rate and GDP per Capita
3. The child rights imperative
• Article 7 (and Art 8) of the CRC
• Article 6 of the ACRWC
• Nature of State Party obligation
– Interdependence and indivisibility
– What is meant by immediate?
– what are the elements of the right?
3. The child rights… (cont’d)
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Right to life
- Family life
Early marriage
- Juvenile justice
ECD
- Education
Social Security
- Child labor
Adoption
- Sexual exploitation
Child soldiers
- Harmful practices
Child protection systems in general…
4. A score card in the region?
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Demand side barriers
Supply side barriers
Is BR compulsory?
Identification of vulnerable groups? Who
are they? Where are they? Why are they
in vulnerable situations? Etc…
• Freedom of movement and implications
• Attempting innovative ways
5. The various scenarios
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BR as a “proof” of nationality
Migrants / Refugees / IDPs
Border and nomadic populations
Foundlings and unknown parentage
Children of permanent residents etc…
Adopted children
Children born outside of country
Acquisition by naturalization/registration
Loss/deprivation and renunciation
6. Some final thoughts
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Constitution
Cross learning
Lack of money is root of all evils?
Partnerships and breaking the silos
BR as good investment + security asset
Post 2015 Development agenda
Hope of Africa rising?!
SOME SOURCES USED
• Manby Brownen (detailed sources available in the Biblio
section of “Nationality, migration and statelessness”
publication for this meeting) including “Statelessness in
Southern Africa” available at
http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/50c1f9562.pdf
• UN CRC Committee
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/CRCIndex.
aspx