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Write Me Down

Caroline Irby

Every year, some 40 million children are born but not registered, in other words, given no nationality, no official existence.

Without a birth certificate, they could be denied their basic rights to school, health care and housing. They may not be able to marry, open a bank account or vote. And if they do not officially exist our experience shows that they are more likely to be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Birth registration is therefore vital for every child and Plan is championing a campaign to ensure that all children, wherever they are born, are registered. Our campaign aims not only to speak out on behalf of every child but also to give children their basic right of citizenship.

Take action

Help us stop this injustice. Sign our petition >>

Find out more

Mobile units register thousands
35,000 children and adults who never had the chance to register their births now have official identities, thanks to a Plan-funded mobile registration campaign in Mozambique

More than five million children registered
Thanks to Plan more than five million children around the world have been registered since the launch of our universal birth registration campaign last year

Birth registration is given children their basic rights

Communities give children their right
The Mrima community may be living in one of the driest and poverty stricken districts in Kenya, but it is achieving results that more developed communities cannot compete – birth registration for their new-born children

Over 5 million Cambodians receive birth certificates
Within 8 months of Plan-supported mobile civil registration campaign, 5.7 million Cambodians - 46 percent of the total population - have received their birth certificates. This is part of an effort by the Ministry of Interior, with the support of the Asian Development Bank and Plan, to bring the entire population under a uniform civil registration system

Recognising children in Togo
Here in the United Kingdom, registering a birth is a task all new parents must complete. In Togo, however, a survey Plan conducted last year revealed that 70% of babies do not receive a birth certificate.

Birth Registration in South-East Asia
Alfred was born in The Philippines without a birth certificate. He applied to become a candidate to the 1998 Presidential Election to see his application refused. He did not have a birth certificate and could not prove to the authorities that he was a Filipino citizen.

Eyram can now get access to education
Eyram is proud to hold her birth certificate. She knows that without an official identity, many doors would be closed; she would be denied access to education and health facilities, as much as the right to vote and express her opinions.

A ticket to Citizenship
Read the Executive Summary of "A ticket to Citizenship" a booklet on best practices for improving birth registration.

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