Thematic report | 03 August 2021 IMPACT OF LACK OF BIRTH REGISTRATION ON RESIDENTS OF COX’S BAZAR Birth registration is the primary legal recognition of a person’s existence and establishes a foundation for recording major life events. An unregistered person may be overlooked by the State. The families of unregistered people may also have trouble registering their deaths to access pension, life insurance, social support for widows, and inheritance (Daily Bangladesh 06/07/2019). Legislation passed in 2014 established that a birth certificate is mandatory proof of identity and required to access many services in the public and private spheres (LGD accessed 18/05/2021; KII 08/04/2021). Residents of Cox’s Bazar thus had less than four years to apply for birth registration before the process was suspended. Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 2004 (LGD accessed 18/05/2021), a birth certificate is required to: • obtain a passport or NID • register to vote • register a marriage • obtain a national tax ID number • open a bank account • obtain a driving license and register a vehicle • obtain school or college admittance • obtain utility connections (i.e., gas, water, telephone, electricity) • obtain a life insurance policy • register land. Before 2014, adults were able to obtain NIDs without birth certificates (KII 23/03/2021; KII 08/04/2021; KII 16/06/2021). Most people who turned 18 before 2014 likely used their NIDs to access services; as a result, many adults in Cox’s Bazar may not have birth certificates (KII 16/06/2021). However, the amendment to the registration act now requires a birth certificate to apply for an NID and access other services (LGD accessed 18/05/2021). Existing loopholes mainly benefit children’s access to services and are likely much more complex for adults, who require access to a broad range of services for which informal recognition of identity is insufficient. Existing informal forms of verification are also not applicable or appropriate for adults. 2 The inability to register for a birth certificate after 2017 may have affected those who turned 18 in the same year or later, with repercussions on income generation both in-country and abroad that will affect socioeconomic status and movement. Birth certificates are required for income-generating purposes such as obtaining trade and contractor licences, becoming a driver, and getting approval for building construction plans. Birth certificates are also a pre-requisite for appointment to government, nongovernmental, and autonomous organisations. People without NIDs or passports cannot travel for work, open bank accounts, or buy vehicles or property. The presence of refugee camps has also resulted in multiple checkpoints in Cox’s Bazar. To move within or leave the district, people must present documentation proving Bangladeshi citizenship at these checkpoints. Adults aged 18 or older must provide either a birth certificate or an NID, and parents travelling with children without birth certificates could be suspected of child trafficking (KII 23/03/2021). People who have recently turned 18 have also struggled to register on voter registration lists due to absence of a birth certificate (TBS News 30/10/2019). While there is no law requires a birth certificate to access social services, a UN report on Bangladesh’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child suggests that lack of registration is a basis for discrimination and exclusion of social services (UN 26/06/2009). People with economic and social vulnerabilities who require social service support the most are also those who face challenges in accessing birth registration and birth certificates. For example, it is mainly women and adolescent mothers who lack access to information on birth registration (UNICEF, accessed 18/05/2021), likely because of pre-existing sociocultural limitations. These pre-existing limitations can also require them to access social services, such as economic empowerment programmes, maternal and infant healthcare, and financial support for widows. Registering for the COVID-19 vaccination requires adults to provide their NID number. This may be an indication of the difficulties that unregistered children could face in the future.