witnessed the birth. Such notice must be given within 42 days of the birth. There is no requirement for corroborating evidence or witnesses. A woman carrying a copy of her fading birth registration. © Amnesty International/Tsvangirai Mukwazhi According to the BDRA, no birth or death which occurs after 20 June 1986 shall be registered after the expiry of one year, except with the written authority of the Registrar General.45 Notice of a birth or death which occurred in Zimbabwe prior to 20 June 1986 may be given by a person concerned or a responsible person in the case of birth or in the case of death by a responsible person. A responsible person can be anyone with the duty to give notice.46 In practice however, the notice of birth is a cumbersome and difficult process for many people, especially in situations where registration has been requested one year after the birth due to other barriers. Late applications for birth registration may be rejected by registry officials. Other applicants may be unable to provide proof of birthplace, proof of residence, proof of parentage and may not have a living witness bearing the same surname as them to testify to circumstances of their birth. For example, Amnesty International interviewed women who struggled to register their children because they had given birth at home. One woman said “Sometimes deliveries happen at home because the baby comes early but hospitals are reluctant to give you a birth record. At times they won’t give you proper documentation required by the registrar.” Some said that hospitals may withhold birth records due to non-payment of fees, even though they are not allowed to do this legally. Many interviewees said they were discriminated against and that derogatory terms were used by registry officials. Some applicants were suspected of being foreigners because they “look foreign” 47 or have a parent who is foreign. Some reported that they were unable to register their children’s births because registry officials insisted that only the mother of the child could obtain a birth certificate. Fathers who attempt to do so are required to bring in the mother’s relatives as witnesses, leading to many being forced to give up the registration process. (See Children at risk of statelessness below.) In the case of descendants of victims of Gukurahundi, individuals have faced difficulties obtaining birth certificates as they do not have their deceased parents’ death certificates. Interviewees told Amnesty International that authorities refused to give them certificates for deaths resulting from killings by the Fifth 45 Section 25 of the BDRA. Section 11 BDRA 47 Migrants were identified by their language and different tone when speaking the local Zimbabwe dialects. 46 WE ARE LIKE “STRAY ANIMALS” THOUSANDS LIVING ON THE MARGINS DUE TO STATELESSNESS IN ZIMBABWE Amnesty International 18