It is certainly distressing to know that around 99 percent of children, including 99 percent in Balochistan and FATA, make up the list of unregistered children in Pakistan each year and cast doubts on our ability to protect the rights of our children.
The three million figure is not negligible by any stretch of human mind, so cannot be ignored and needs immediate corrective measures, otherwise children may continue remaining vulnerable.
The figures also adversely impact national data, like the ongoing and subsequent censuses in the country.
The concern of the UNICEF, the UN agency for the rights of the children, over the issue could not be underplayed providing one or the other excuse as situation is extremely worrisome.
The UNICEF said in its World’s Children Report 2011 that only 27 percent of total births in Pakistan between 2000 and 2009 were registered, suggesting that the situation in Balochistan and FATA was even graver, as only one per cent of the children were registered at birth.
One percent registration is too low to be counted at all and the Planning Commission of Pakistan must look into the matter if it seeks to flawless planning for its future projects.
According to the UNICEF, the figures for birth registration in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Punjab were also low.
It said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 20 percent registration of children, Kashmir 24 percent and Punjab had a higher rate of 77 percent, which is closer to the universal registration mark. Registration at birth is a right of every child and the UN declaring the Children’s Day this year as ‘‘Make Every Child Count” speaks of the importance of registering children at birth, as it serves to be a vital instrument in protecting the rights of children.
Karen Allen, UNICEF Pakistan’s deputy representative, had rightly stated on November 19, “It is absolutely vital for every child’s future well-being and the fulfillment of their rights that they are registered at birth.”
According to the UNICEF, birth registration is the first right of every child born in Pakistan, because it established the existence of a child under law and provided the foundation for safeguarding many of the child’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child specifies that every child has the right to be registered at birth without any discrimination.
The reasons for low birth registration are varied and complex, yet lack of awareness, cost factors and geographical distance cannot serve as an excuse, as children without birth registration may be denied access to ID card, passport, bank account, the ability to vote, access to education, health and other social services, which most of us take for granted. Karen Allen was very right in pointing out that excuses could not be entertained at the expense of the rights of the children.
“Without such registration, it is almost impossible to fully protect the rights of adolescents, or to prosecute cases of unlawful premature entry into adult roles such as marriage, or the labour force, when the exact age of the child or adolescent cannot be determined. In addition, birth registration provides the government with essential population information needed to plan for community amenities like schools and hospitals. It is every child’s right to have their birth registered and for children to take their rightful place in Pakistan society,” Allen had said.
