Birth registration is the first critical step toward ensuring that a citizen is protected via a legal identity. It establishes the right to access services throughout their life. Unregistered children face a life of disadvantage, without access to the education, healthcare, and social protection that most of us take for granted. 

Lao PDR is an example of a territory where universal birth registration has been a challenge. The obstacles experienced in Lao are symptomatic of many similar countries. An absence of knowledge in the community has been exacerbated by the confusion between the existing CRVS system and their family book system. This has led to a situation where although 73% of children under five are registered with one system, only 54.5% have a birth certificate and only half of this number can prove this when required. 

Aside from confusion and lack of awareness, many citizens have simply been unable to register due to the inaccessibility of a manual system, prohibitive administration costs, and the absence of clear procedures. 

The life trajectory of an ‘invisible’ child is uncertain and often dangerous. Without robust legal protection, they are vulnerable to abuse and neglect, and sometimes trafficking, child labor, and forced marriage. And, there is little recourse for them in the juvenile justice system without a legal identity, should any of these events take place, and so the cycle continues.  

The disadvantages of patchy registration, however, are not limited to individuals. Governments depend on accurate data regarding the number and location of births in order to plan and resource services. Inaccurate data means they are unlikely to meet their purpose. 

The impact of eCRVS

The positive benefits of eCRVS reach every citizen, in a country where it is deployed successfully. For example, an agency with discretion over educational resources will be able to look at areas with high birth rates to determine whether a new school is needed and execute this decision well in advance of any oversubscription. Its demographic data drives the allocation of health resources, assists in the monitoring of gender equality, and can predict the volume of support required in areas where significant social intervention is needed as citizens reach key life stages. 

The future of birth registration

By 2030, a Sustainable Development Goal is in place to ensure legal identity for all, including birth registrations. In countries that need to overcome these challenges to improve life chances and meet this goal, eCRVS is a powerful solution. Where manual systems are inaccessible and inaccurate, a digital system improves data integrity and security, in addition to improving access and streamlining the entire process. 

The broader impact of birth registration

Unequivocally, universal birth registration will go a long way to improving equality and life chances. Beyond this, we can also look forward to better educational outcomes, and better health profiles stemming from widespread access to these essential services. The removal of barriers between those with and without legal identity will also lead to greater social inclusion. 

Governments will be better placed to develop contingency plans for unexpected events such as disease outbreaks and extreme weather incidents. Underpinning this is accurate and timely data that governments can use to ensure that they can always plan future resources and interventions using robust data, meaning that no one is ever left behind.  

Read about the deployment of HERA eCRVS in Laos here.

Find out more about our eCRVS solution HERA here.