INTRODUCTION The South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission) and the Centre for Child Law (the Centre) bring you this simple, but comprehensive guide on documenting children in South Africa. Both the Commission and the Centre receive hundreds of requests for help with documenting children each year. This guide aims to compile what we have learnt about assisting children into one easy to use guide for parents, social workers, and even children themselves. Every child has the right to a name and a nationality from birth. The Constitution of South African protects this right in section 28 of the Constitution. In fact, it is the very first right granted to children specifically. The right to a name and a nationality includes the right to birth registration, to an identity, to citizenship and to proof of that identity and citizenship. A child’s identity is a blend of their individuality, their culture, their communities, their ancestors, but also of the places and people who they interact with today. It is a rich and crucial part of every child’s life. The right to have this identity preserved and recorded is what enables a child to move through the world and to interact with others in a meaningful way. Although every child, regardless of their documentation, is entitled to all the rights in the Constitution, it can be difficult to register for school, or to be admitted to a hospital, without the relevant documentation. Without documents, children can be left out, and some can become stateless if they stay undocumented for too long. Children deserve to reach their full potential as the Constitution requires in its preamble. Documentation is one of the keys which can unlock it. Our hope is that this guide will bring children, with the help of their caregivers, closer to that goal. 2 HOW TO GET DOCUMENTED HOW TO GET DOCUMENTED 3