Cook Islands' country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

Cambodia's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

Bhutan's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

Bangladesh's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

Australia's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

Armenia's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30 July 2015

The purpose of this report is to compare the legal frameworks governing birth registration in eleven jurisdictions. Birth registration is the process by which a child's birth is recorded in the civil register by the applicable government authority. It provides the first legal recognition of the child. The questionnaires have been prepared by lawyers from the UK and other jurisdictions performing desk based research. The questionnaires focus on the registration of births occurring within the relevant jurisdiction.

This report analyzes the gendered impacts of inadequacies in marriage and divorce registration in six countries on the African continent. The six countries reviewed are Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Morocco, representing the different types of legal systems prominent on the continent. A review of each of these legal systems reveals a common thread: each legal system fails to adequately recognize various marriages embraced by the population and in doing so, denies women in these marriages important rights.

Many Pacific Island countries and territories are unable to get accurate counts of birth, death and causes of death information. This lack of information affects local health and community planning, funding and priority planning and ability to access aid investment. Many people are born in one country but die in another place. The original birth and death certificates are generally issued in the country of occurrence, so the records are often not registered in their home island, country or territory. 

This report presents, for the first time, comprehensive, global data about these children – where they are born, where they move, and some of the dangers they face along the way. The report sheds light on the truly global nature of childhood migration and displacement, highlighting the major challenges faced by child migrants and refugees in every region.