Doctoral Dissertation Research: Counting children, making children count: birth registration, health and human rights in Tanzania

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The legal right to a name and a registered birth is a central principle of modern human rights law. Birth registration is often identified as a "gateway right." It is a necessary precursor for accessing political, economic, and social rights, including access to health care and education as well as protection from child labor, trafficking, and under-age marriage. However, the majority of children born in the developing world are never legally registered. The current project explores the factors that contribute to the low rates of birth registration as well as the cultural, social, and historical significance attributed to registering births in such locations. The research involves household surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation of birth registration activities, and archival research in Tanzania and England. Public health and human rights campaigners have proposed that improving birth registration rates is one key means to improving health and development outcomes across the developing world. The results of the current research could offer insights into the continued presence of low birth registration rates in many developing countries.