344: a visible existence for Namibia's children

Interestingly, yesterday Namibia became one of the few African nations to have introduced routine registration of children's births. As today's linked article from Namibian newspaper New Era reports, the Namibian government will work with UNICEF to pilot birth registration in public health facilities such as hospitals and clinics. Uganda and Angola have launched similar initiatives, alongside several other African nations that already have more systematic recording of births, deaths and marriages - so called 'vital statistics'. Sounds like a formality, perhaps - but without a recorded name, date and place of birth, many children find themselves unable to access education and welfare services and they also become more vulnerable to exploitation. So this is an important step for Namibia's children - one that should help them realize their rights in future years.

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