High Court Jurisprudence on the Applicability of Local Law toward Afghan Refugees Establishing clarity and confirmation of the applicability of domestic law toward refugees, particularly when it comes to employment law and family law, is an important first step in recognizing, accessing, and realizing their rights in host country jurisdictions. In this regard, the Islamabad High Court ruling that non-citizens in Pakistan fall within the jurisdiction of family courts and can bring suits to family court is significant. PAKISTAN A 1996 judgment declared that family courts have plenary jurisdiction to hear cases brought by non-citizens and citizens alike, so long as the matter occurred within the territorial jurisdiction of the relevant court (Anil Mussarat Hussain v. Muhammad Anwar Naseem,78 further upheld in Majid Hussain v. Farrah Naz79). These rulings clarify that the nationality of plaintiffs is immaterial to the question of the jurisdiction of Pakistan’s family courts, and it is possible that Afghan refugees and other non-citizens in Pakistan may be similarly impacted by these rulings. Administrative Policies and Actions Country-Level Prioritization of Civil Registration Ensuring that the births of all children, including refugee children, are registered and certified is an important first step in increasing the ability of those children to access their fundamental rights. Legal proof of identity can help children access legislative protections, as well as help secure access to education, social assistance, and health care services. Civil registration also protects children from violence and exploitation, against family separation and illegal adoption, and through providing official proof of age also reduces the risk of children being forced into early marriage or recruited into armed forces. INDONESIA In Indonesia, a national strategy for improving civil registration procedures and coverage incorporates cross-sector collaboration, including across health and education, to support the civil registration office with regards to birth registration. As a result, the percentage of children under the age of five whose births were registered almost doubled between 2007 and 2018.80 Indonesia’s Medium-Term National Development Plan includes a target to ensure that 100 percent of children have their birth registered immediately by 2024, and a number of legislative acts have provided a framework for implementing this plan.81 21 UND OING PRECARIT Y: ELE VATING P OSITIVE PR ACTICES FOR REFU GEE PROTECTION IN SO U TH AND SO U THE AST ASIA