1,000,000 births registered in Pakistan

Children with birth certificates have easier access to civil rights

28 September 2007: More than 1,000,000 children have been registered in Pakistan thanks to Plan’s universal birth registration campaign.

The figure is the result of a project carried out with the provincial governments of Balochistan, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Sindh.

Watch video of Plan Pakistan's universal birth registration campaign (Windows Media Player, 4.4mb, 3.09 mins).

Children with birth certificates have easier access to health care, education and civil rights. They are also less vulnerable to trafficking and can be protected from child labour and child marriage.

Free registration

The government of NWFP declared 2006 as the year of birth registration and made it free for all children aged up to 18. New bylaws are also helping government functionaries and parents to register children more conveniently.

The government of Balochistan has made a similar pledge for this year and the campaign is gaining momentum. Television and radio appeals from the governor and chief minister have seen an immediate response from parents wanting to register their children.

Campaign champion

Wazir Khan has helped to get 3,000 children registered in Chitral

Local councillor Wazir Khan has helped to get 3,000 children registered within 2 months, making him possibly the most successful individual campaigner for universal birth registration in Pakistan.

Operating in an isolated, snow-capped region of Chitral amid the Hindukush mountain range in NWFP, Wazir visits schools and families: "I go door to door to persuade parents to get their children registered," he says.

Wazir plans to keep on working for the children of his area to make sure that no child remains unregistered.

Find out more about Plan's universal birth registration campaign