‘My Birth Registration, My Right’
Chioma Umeha Birth registration is a right. Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child specifies, “Every child has the right to be registered at birth without any discrimination.” Therefore, birth registration is expected to be carried out immediately after birth. It should also be free and accessible to all, even if children are registered late. The United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) notes, “Children with no birth certificate don’t exist before the law, and are in danger of remaining on the margins of society, or being shut out altogether. “They are more likely to face major challenges in accessing healthcare, education and social assistance.” This issue was brought to the fore recently in Kano at a media dialogue on birth registration organised by UNICEF in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC) and National Population Commission (NPopC). Mrs. Sharon Oladiji, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF, in her