My name is important
When 7-year-old Alison Suárez was ready to start going to school, her mom, Aura Lidia, realized that her daughter basically didn't exist, legally. Her dream to give her a better future by enrolling her at school was not possible; in that moment Aura Lidia understood that her daughter did not have the right to attend school, get married, travel, vote, have a good job, or just being a Nicaraguan citizen.
This family from La Esperanza community located 40 kms. away of Tipitapa, Managua is one of the hundreds of families who don´t register their children at birth. "I didn´t want to register my daughter when she was born because her dad didn't want to give his last name to her and I didn't want to register my daughter only with my last name," recalls Aura. Seven years later, she realized her mistake, "They didn't allow my daughter to enter at school. In that moment I realized how important the birth certificate was," she says.
With no money to follow the birth registration process for her daughter, Aura asked World Vision for help. At present, Alison is attending first grade at Simón Bolívar School and has gotten excellent grades. This would never have been possible without a birth certificate.
According to reports of the United Nations Population Fund, around 35 percent of Nicaraguan children do not have birth certificates. This means that they are excluded in society and they may not enjoy fundamental rights such as access to education and health. Also, these children are more vulnerable to all forms of abuse and sexual exploitation such as human trafficking.
When there are not birth records of these people, they are not included in social development planning or in decision-making processes regarding both political and budget matters. The Ministry of Health reports that 130 thousand children are born in Nicaragua every year, but only 85 thousand are registered in the Civil Registry, as stated by the Supreme Electoral Council. This gap is considered to be bigger due to the lack of information of those who live in distant communities.
The right to have a name
In Nicaragua, national and international organizations such as Save The Children, Plan International, United Nations Children´s Fund (UNICEF) and World Vision are working with the Government to enforce the Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) that calls for an immediate registration of the child after birth.
"Nicaragua lags far behind the countries of the region in terms of child´s birth records. Our Civil Registry Law dates back to 1904 with a huge legal loophole. In general, we are working with an old law, it´s like trying to use a jukebox, when we actually need is a CD player," points out Ana Lucía Silva, UNICEF Specialist.
According to the UNICEF expert, another problem on birth´s registration is the lack of access to a Civil Registry centre. "Many families, particularly poor people in far away communities, have to leave their houses [to get to the Registry Centre] and find the money for the bus fare and food; it takes them practically one day [and] this is very discouraging [for them]. On the other hand, there is lack of information about the importance of registration [so] the situation becomes more complex," Silva adds.
In order to contribute to this issue, World Vision Nicaragua has promoted since 2010, the massive campaign “My name, my right” to raise awareness of the need to have children registered at birth. World Vision´s Area Development Programs of Ticuantepe, Tipitapa, Nandaime, and San Marcos were part of this initiative which made possible to successfully register 2,224 persons.
"This number of children´s registrations is the result of a coordinated work of World Vision with local partners such as the Municipal Mayor´s Office (Civil Registry), Ministry of Family, and the Local Court. The idea was to bring the registration service directly to the people, so they do not need to go to the urban areas and spend money," explains Paola Bonilla, Advocacy promoter of Ticuantepe ADP.
Joining efforts for unregistered children
Carmen de Fátima Orozco, a local Judge of Ticuantepe municipality, says that this campaign has been a very positive and different experience and adds "We have seen cases of adults who were not sure of their true name and they have kept a nickname [since they were born]. We have also had cases of whole families unregistered."
Orozco also says that the educational campaigns have contributed to raise awareness in many adults who never had a birth certificate and they [finally] realized they need this record. As a result, this will make the population to gradually register the names of their children reducing the previously mentioned gap. "It is hard to achieve the goal because many people still believe this process is not a priority, however, we try to carry out the task," Orozco adds.
The Nicaraguan Government has also worked to reduce this problem through the "Love Program,” which started in 2007. The goal was to register 100 thousand children by 2011. At present, 91,018 children from 0 to 12 years of age have been registered.
"Local and national partnerships with civil society organizations are part of this effort. Some days, we have registered up to 100 children. This means a hard but satisfactory work," says María Dolores Noguera, Coordinator of the Section ´Right to have a Name and Nationality´ in the Love program.
With no money to follow the birth registration process for her daughter, Aura asked World Vision for help. At present, Alison is attending first grade at Simón Bolívar School and has gotten excellent grades. This would never have been possible without a birth certificate.
According to reports of the United Nations Population Fund, around 35 percent of Nicaraguan children do not have birth certificates. This means that they are excluded in society and they may not enjoy fundamental rights such as access to education and health. Also, these children are more vulnerable to all forms of abuse and sexual exploitation such as human trafficking.
When there are not birth records of these people, they are not included in social development planning or in decision-making processes regarding both political and budget matters. The Ministry of Health reports that 130 thousand children are born in Nicaragua every year, but only 85 thousand are registered in the Civil Registry, as stated by the Supreme Electoral Council. This gap is considered to be bigger due to the lack of information of those who live in distant communities.
The right to have a name
In Nicaragua, national and international organizations such as Save The Children, Plan International, United Nations Children´s Fund (UNICEF) and World Vision are working with the Government to enforce the Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) that calls for an immediate registration of the child after birth.
"Nicaragua lags far behind the countries of the region in terms of child´s birth records. Our Civil Registry Law dates back to 1904 with a huge legal loophole. In general, we are working with an old law, it´s like trying to use a jukebox, when we actually need is a CD player," points out Ana Lucía Silva, UNICEF Specialist.
According to the UNICEF expert, another problem on birth´s registration is the lack of access to a Civil Registry centre. "Many families, particularly poor people in far away communities, have to leave their houses [to get to the Registry Centre] and find the money for the bus fare and food; it takes them practically one day [and] this is very discouraging [for them]. On the other hand, there is lack of information about the importance of registration [so] the situation becomes more complex," Silva adds.
In order to contribute to this issue, World Vision Nicaragua has promoted since 2010, the massive campaign “My name, my right” to raise awareness of the need to have children registered at birth. World Vision´s Area Development Programs of Ticuantepe, Tipitapa, Nandaime, and San Marcos were part of this initiative which made possible to successfully register 2,224 persons.
"This number of children´s registrations is the result of a coordinated work of World Vision with local partners such as the Municipal Mayor´s Office (Civil Registry), Ministry of Family, and the Local Court. The idea was to bring the registration service directly to the people, so they do not need to go to the urban areas and spend money," explains Paola Bonilla, Advocacy promoter of Ticuantepe ADP.
Joining efforts for unregistered children
Carmen de Fátima Orozco, a local Judge of Ticuantepe municipality, says that this campaign has been a very positive and different experience and adds "We have seen cases of adults who were not sure of their true name and they have kept a nickname [since they were born]. We have also had cases of whole families unregistered."
Orozco also says that the educational campaigns have contributed to raise awareness in many adults who never had a birth certificate and they [finally] realized they need this record. As a result, this will make the population to gradually register the names of their children reducing the previously mentioned gap. "It is hard to achieve the goal because many people still believe this process is not a priority, however, we try to carry out the task," Orozco adds.
The Nicaraguan Government has also worked to reduce this problem through the "Love Program,” which started in 2007. The goal was to register 100 thousand children by 2011. At present, 91,018 children from 0 to 12 years of age have been registered.
"Local and national partnerships with civil society organizations are part of this effort. Some days, we have registered up to 100 children. This means a hard but satisfactory work," says María Dolores Noguera, Coordinator of the Section ´Right to have a Name and Nationality´ in the Love program.
By Marcia Morales
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