Released on: July 18, 2008, 2:11 am

Press Release Author: Plan India

Industry: Non Profit

Press Release Summary: The registration of births and deaths has been made
compulsory under the Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969. As a signatory
to the U. N. Convention on the \'Rights of the Child\', 1989 India has a
responsibility to ensure registration of all births. Though more than 35 years have
passed since the enactment of the legislation, the level of birth registration is
still not satisfactory.

Press Release Body: Hyderabad 23rd May 2008: - Respect for human rights begins and
may be measured in the way society treats its children. Advocating for birth
registration is among the first rights of the child. Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM) &
Plan India, a child-centered development organization conducted a workshop on
"Children's voices play a role of change agents to achieve Universal Birth
Registration" in Hyderabad today. Issues and successful case studies in the area of
birth registration in the state were highlighted on the occasion.

The registration of births and deaths has been made compulsory under the
Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969. As a signatory to the U. N.
Convention on the \'Rights of the Child\', 1989 India has a responsibility to ensure
registration of all births. Though more than 35 years have passed since the
enactment of the legislation, the level of birth registration is still not
satisfactory.

Plan India has been engaging with the Office of the Registrar General, India and
State Registrars' offices in the states of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, towards the strengthening of the
existing system of birth registration in India. It is implementing the project
through different strategies at the National and State level in collaboration with
respective governments to ensure sustainability.

Andhra Pradesh with recording of about 61% of births falls just below the national
birth registration figures of over 63%. The state ranks in the mid range performing
states (with registration between 50% to 80%). Within the state, however the
percentage of registration varies by as much as 35% from district to district.
Reporting is a key issue in Andhra Pradesh and many districts are low performers.

Given the above picture ASM-Plan India launched the UBR campaign in January 2006 in
nine districts of Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with the Government and community
based NGOs in Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Nellore, Chittoor, Karimnagar,
Adilabad, Krishna, Nalgonda and Nizamabad.

NGOs, civil society organizations & children can play a crucial role in
strengthening the hand of the government in improving registration services. With
their comparative advantage of being in direct contact with the people, they have
the potential to be a catalyst for change, facilitating registration & thereby
ensuring the first and basic right of a child. In the past these partnerships have
also played a facilitative role in dissemination of knowledge and information on
birth registration to the most marginalized communities and could help the state
governments to reach out to the most vulnerable children.

Involving children in their own development positively impacts all realms -the
personal, familial, community and the institutional. Children's participation helps
in promoting the birth registration builds their capacity to influence their own
development and welfare, in persuading their parents to register them and their
siblings and also overcome divisions among various stakeholders by acting as a
unifying element. In the 9 districts of AP, children have been involved in creative
and innovative programs such as essay writing, group discussion, elocutions,
drawings, street plays, rallies, signature & post card campaign, sports activities
to create awareness on the issue. Children are also using the assembly ground to
disseminate the importance and value of the certificate.

Last year participation of NGOs, civil society organizations & children in
advocating on their own rights in Andhra Pradesh has helped to touch percentage of
registration to 85 in Nizamabad district. In future "Child Reports" in the community
will play an active role in spreading awareness.

Plan has been a key player in promoting Universal birth registration for children
across the world. India, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Nepal are
some of the countries where Plan has made significant investments in birth
registration.

About Plan India
Plan India is a child-centered development organization that aims to promote Child
Rights and improve the quality of life of vulnerable children. Plan India is a part
of Plan, founded in 1937 after the Spanish Civil War and currently works in 68
countries. In India, Plan works in 13 states and has directly impacted lives of over
a million children and their families since 1979 and empowered them to realize their
potential.

Our child centered community development interventions focus on Child Protection and
Child Participation, Children in Difficult Circumstances, Health, Education, HIV /
AIDS, Early Childhood Care and Development, Water and Environment Sanitation,
Disaster Preparedness, Household Economic and Social Security and Community
Governance. Visit http://www.planindia.org for more information.

Web Site: http://www.planindia.org

Contact Details: Plan India
E-12 , Kailash Colony,
New Delhi - 110048
Tel: 91-11-46558484
plan.india@yahoo.com