N O PAPeRS – NO BI RTH C e RTI F I CATe ?
4
1
UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2004): General Comment No. 7, UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1, para. 25.
2 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2004): Concluding
observations to Germany, UN Doc. CRC/C/15/Add.226, para.
55.
3 See Deutscher Bunderat, document (BR-Drs.) 713/08, p. 97.
4 See UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2015): Concluding observations to Switzerland, UN Doc. CRC/C/CHe/CO/24, para. 31.
5 Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendärzte e.V. (2016): Die
unsichtbaren Kinder - ohne Geburtsurkunde, ohne Gesundheitsschutz [The invisible children - no birth certificate, no health
protection], see https://www.bvkj.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/ansicht/article/die-unsichtbaren-kinder-ohne-geburtsurkunde-ohne-gesundheitsschutz (accessed 05 December 2018);
UNICeF (2007): Implementation Handbook for the Convention
on the Rights of the Child: Fully Revised Third edition, Part 1, p.
98; UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2015): General
Comment No. 9, UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/9, para. 35.
6 taz (1 June 2016): Neugeborene ohne Identität [Newborns with
no identity], see http://www.taz.de/!5305237/ (accessed on 5
December 2018); Soester Anzeiger (22 November 2017): Flüchtlinge: Behörden-Marathon für eine Geburtsurkunde [Refugees:
authority marathon for a birth certificate], see https://www.
soester-anzeiger.de/lokales/soest/fluechtlinge-soester-behoerden-marathon-eine-geburtsurkunde-9382273.html (accessed 05
December 2018).
7 Stiftung Mercator (2017): Städte und Gemeinden in der Flüchtlingspolitik [Cities and communities in refugee policy], p. 33.
8 Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 18/9163.
9 Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, document 7/439; Landtag
Brandenburg, document 6/5226.
10 Stadtrat Düsseldorf (2016): Proposal 50/56/2016; Magistrat
Frankfurt am Main (2016): Question of 10 June 2016, question
66.
11 See Sozialgericht München (2018): Judgment of 4 May 2018, S
46 eG 130/17 – juris.
12 As a guide, refer to a corresponding data collection in Switzerland, see Swiss Confederation (2009): Report of the Federal
Council of 6 March 2009 in fulfilment of postulate 06.3861
Vermot-Mangold.
13 UNICeF’s estimate that 100% of children born in Germany
are registered is based exclusively on the national regulatory
framework, see https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/
birth-registration/ (accessed 05 December 2018).
14 See section 2 of the Richtlinie des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses über die Früherkennung von Krankheiten bei Kindern
[Directive of the Federal Joint Committee on the early detection
of diseases in children] in the version dated 18 June 2015, last
updated on 19 October 2017.
15 See end para. 5.
16 Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 18/2581, p. 20.
17 Ibid.
18 Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 18/9163, p. 2;
Federal Ministry of the Interior (2014): Rundschreiben vom
28.02.2014 zum Personenstandswesen in Afghanistan [Circular
of 28 February 2014 on civil status in Afghanistan] (V II 1 - 133
400 AFG/1).
19 Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht (1999): Decision of 21
December 1999, 1 Z BR 154/98, para. 28 – juris.
20 See Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 18/1030, p. 8.
21 UN, Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families/Committee on the
Rights of the Child (2017): Joint General Comment No. 4, UN
Doc. CMW/C/GC/4-CRC/C/GC/23, para. 22. However, flexible
solutions must not lead to the state abandoning its efforts to
issue the child a birth certificate. As the child gets older, it is still
necessary for them to be able to conclusively prove their own
identity and birth certificates play an important role, for example
if they get married or become naturalised. Therefore, issuing a
certified registry extract must not mean that they have to forfeit
their right to a birth certificate.
22 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2014): Concluding
observations to Germany, UN Doc. CRC/C/DeU/CO/3-4, para.
29.
23 Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 18/1030, p. 8.
24 Deutscher Bundestag, document (BT-Drs.) 17/6497, p. 8.
25 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child (2004): General Comment No. 7, UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1, para. 25.
26 Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, european Network on
Statelessness (2017): Joint Submission to the Human Rights
Council at the 30th Session of the Universal Periodic Review
(Germany), para. 29.
Imprint
The Institute
Position Paper | July 2019 | ISSN 2509-3037 (PDF)
Translation from the German “Position Nr. 18”
PUBLISHER: German Institute for Human Rights
Zimmerstrasse 26/27 I 10969 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 30 259 359-0 | Fax: +49 30 259 359-59
info@institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de
www.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de
AUTHOR: : Stephan Gerbig
TRANSLATOR: Anna Compton
© German Institute for Human Rights, 2019
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