CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Skrebes, Robyn Jane |
|---|---|
| Title | BIRTH REGISTRATION AND THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN RIGHTS IN POST CONFLICT COUNTRIES |
| Summary | Registration of infants at birth is a fundamental right that is guaranteed by international human rights law, but around the world states persist in failing to document all children; the issue is particularly severe in many post-conflict countries. Birth registration is critical to protecting the rights of children for several reasons. First, it establishes identity, which is essential to safeguarding the immediate security of the child and the family. Second, a birth certificate is generally accepted as proof of nationality; it therefore leads to assurances for state-provided social services such as education and health care, as well as citizenship privileges such voting rights and social security. Third, birth registration provides documentation of age, which is crucial to defending children from exploitation including, among other things, labor, sex, under-age marriage, and military conscription. Finally, birth registration is a right that is guaranteed in several international human rights instruments. This thesis will first look at the existing literature on birth registration. It will then discuss the need and the legal right for the birth registration of children. Finally, it will examine three post-conflict countries at different stages of working to implement birth registration: Southern Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Guatemala. For each country, this thesis will provide a brief history, examine threats to children and look at the ways that the state and non-governmental actors are working to implement birth registration and how it is making a difference. |
| Supervisor | Victoria Nwogu |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/skrebes_robyn.pdf |
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