origin.54 CBW children are at increased risk of statelessness due to the lack of birth registration. CBW experience immense social stigma, exclusion, and discrimination stemming from their mothers' victimization. The UN Secretary-General has acknowledged the challenges experienced by CBW. He noted that ‘’Children conceived through wartime rape often struggle with issues of identity and belonging for decades after the guns have fallen silent. We amplify the voices of these forgotten victims of war, who suffer stigma, shame, and exclusion in societies polarized by armed conflict [...]’55 39. A pilot study carried by the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) in the Acholi sub-region on the birth registration of CBW revealed that an estimation of between 4000 to 6000 children was born in captivity as a result of forced marriages by the LRA rebels.56 The study identified several challenges that impede CBW from accessing civil registration documents or national identity cards. These include the lack of information to satisfy the questions required to complete the registration. For instance, civil registration documents require the father’s name, which poses a challenge for children who do not know their father or identity. 40. The lack of birth certificates and civil registration documents has long-term impacts. It exposes the children to the risk of statelessness and limits their access to health care, their ability to enrol in school, or access other social benefits that require birth certificates. Victims of conflict-related sexual violence in northern Uganda reported to ICTJ that their children had been prevented from registering for their Primary (School) Leaving Examination because they lacked birth certificates. This ultimately jeopardizes the future of CBW.57 41. In 2019, at a dialogue organised by ICTJ and the JLOS, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) undertook to review their birth and civil registration procedures to provide for specific measures and guidelines for documentation and registration of CBW.58 However, the special procedures and registration guidelines are yet to be adopted. The National Transitional Justice Policy recognises CBW as a special category of victims that require specific interventions; however, the delay in implementing the policy leaves CBW at a heightened risk of human rights violations and denial of fundamental rights. Bronwen Manby, Statelessness and Citizenship in the East African Community, UNHCR, (2018), available at: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/66807. 55 UN Secretary-General's Message on International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, (June 2018), available at: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-06-19/secretary-generals-message-international-day-eliminationsexual. 56 Margaret Ajok, Pilot study on Birth Registration of Children Born of War in the Acholi Region, Justice Law and Order Sector, (2019). 57 Report of Roundtable Dialogue convened by JLOS, NIRA and the ICTJ on birth registration of children born of war, (July 2019), available on file. 58 Ibid. 54 10