WEI Submission to the OHCHR on Birth Registration & Children with Disabilities

Oct 31, 2017

Women Enabled International (WEI) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the forthcoming report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on best practices on birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law, as indicated in the Human Rights Council Resolution 34/15.

Part I of this submission outlines why birth registration is essential to safeguarding the rights of children with disabilities, and then identifies barriers to birth registration for children with disabilities, gender dimensions of the issue, and special considerations for emergency situations. The submission then identifies in Part II the international human rights standards that underpin the right to birth registration for children. Finally, in Part III, the submission provides recommendations, including some examples of good practices to promote widespread registration of the births of all children, including children with disabilities.