African youth struggle as lack of birth certificates hamper prospects

In many developed countries, a birth certificate is a given, but in many African countries, obtaining one is not the norm.

In sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), only every second child under the age of five is officially registered.

Ethiopia and Somalia have the lowest rates, where only 3% of all children under the age of five have a birth certificate, UNICEF says.

This lack of documentation impacts every aspect of life, from accessing education and healthcare to employment and protection from exploitation.

With Africa's population rapidly growing, addressing this issue is critical for securing the future of millions of children who remain unregistered and disadvantaged.

With its roughly 1.3 billion people, the African continent is the world's youngest.

Every third person in the 46 countries south of the Sahara is between 10 and 24 years old. According to UN projections, 2.1 billion people will live here by 2050 - many millions of them without a legal identity.

In Zambia, only 14% are registered, while in Tanzania, Angola and Chad only about one in four babies has a birth certificate. In Uganda and South Sudan, only around one in three children has one.

"A birth certificate gives a child a legal existence, an official name, a nationality, a livelihood. Without a birth registration, it is disadvantaged from the very beginning of its life," says Amandine Bollinger, Head of Child Protection at UNICEF in Angola.

A disadvantaged start to life

Without a birth certificate, infants often miss out on crucial immunizations, says Amandine Bollinger of UNICEF.

Lacking a legal identity, these children face severe barriers throughout life — they can't open bank accounts, vote, own property, inherit, or find legal employment.

They are also vulnerable to human trafficking, child marriage, and exploitation as child soldiers.

The low birth registration rate in Africa is due to several factors. Many births occur at home in remote areas, and parents may lack the necessary documents.

In some cases, men deny paternity, or mothers, often uneducated, are unaware of the need for registration.

Those who do not have an identity card are not included in any statistics.

Djanina Baptista, the head gynaecologist at Cajueiro Hospital in Angola's capital Luanda, sums up the consequences: "A child that is not registered is a non-existent child. It is not in the system."

Her staff endeavours to educate expectant mothers about the importance of birth certificates, but in an overcrowded hospital with overworked staff, this is only possible to a limited extent, she says.

However, mothers who give birth at Cajueiro Hospital are lucky. It is Angola's only state hospital with an integrated birth registration office but registration is only available during limited hours.

The 25 other registration offices in hospitals were closed during the coronavirus pandemic and have not yet reopened.

Bureaucratic hurdles are many

Claudia Lopes, 22, recently gave birth and is waiting to be discharged. She was unaware that it was possible to apply for a birth certificate for little Lucas.

However, she lacks her own and the father's documents. "But now that I know about it, I'll come back and do it," says the young mother.

Even when parents are informed about the importance of birth registration, they often encounter significant bureaucratic barriers.

Madalena Zongo, 17, is a single mother and lives in Luanda's low-income Grafanil district.

She struggles to register her son Gabriel due to her own lack of a birth certificate and the disappearance of the baby's father. Her parents also lack valid documents, leaving Gabriel's registration uncertain.

"It's a vicious circle. If babies are not registered at birth, their chances of catching up later in life are minimal," says Bollinger.

Zongo knows the difficulties of lacking a birth certificate. She faced challenges enrolling in school. At the age of 11, she finally entered the first grade. After third grade, at the age of 13, she dropped out.

"It was just too difficult to ask for admission every school year. I gave up," she says.

The absence of birth certificates perpetuates poverty and limits opportunities for millions across Africa, driving many to seek better prospects in Europe.

Yet, even migrants who reach Europe face similar hurdles, as they often lack the necessary documents to prove their identity.

"This reduces their chances of applying for asylum. Or they feel forced to assume a false or falsified identity," Bollinger says.

Upon arrival in Europe, some migrants are accused of deliberately throwing away their passports while fleeing.

The reality is that many do not have anything to throw away.