Birth registration is vital, Plan tells European Parliament

Glenys Kinnock MEP, Plan Bangladesh country director Haider Yaqub and Head of Plan's EU liaison office Deepali Sood at the European Parliament

27 February 2008: Plan Bangladesh has told the European Parliament the vital importance of birth registration to developing countries and urged it to continue supporting Plan’s global campaign.

Haider Yaqub, acting country director of Plan Bangladesh, spoke at a public hearing on birth registration organised by the Development Committee & Human Rights sub-committee in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Since 2003, Plan Bangladesh has helped 5,900,000 children and adults acquire official identities. In 2 remote districts - Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari - the government has confirmed Plan has achieved 100% registration.

Child marriage

Mr Yaqub showed the European Parliament members case studies of children involved in Plan’s Universal Birth Registration campaign and presented examples of ongoing work in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh people wanting to marry must be 18 years old or over, but in many cases just being told the bride's age is taken as proof.

By encouraging registrars to ask for a birth certificate, Plan has helped prevent many young and vulnerable girls being married to older men for convenience, abuse or in an attempt to escape poverty.

Saving lives

“Often the link between birth registration and reducing maternal mortality is not fully appreciated,” he said.

“Having a birth certificate can actually help prevent early marriage which, in turn, is a major cause of maternal mortality.”

Maternal mortality is when the mother dies in childbirth - to which young girls are more susceptible.

Mr Yaqub urged the European Parliament and European Union to continue its support in linking birth registration to nation building initiatives, such as access to better education, healthcare and other human rights.

Help in disasters

Birth registration is particularly important in disaster-prone areas such as south-western Bangladesh which was devastated by Cyclone Sidr in November last year. It means that children separated from their parents can be quickly, and safely, reunited - with their identity protected by an official document.

The public hearing was chaired by UK EP member Glenys Kinnock who afterwards said: “A child not counted does not count.”

Learn more about Plan's Universal Birth Registration campaign