KARACHI, March 3: The Society for the Protection of Rights of the Child organised a programme in UC-6 of Shah Faisal Town with the help of union council members to create awareness among people about registration of childbirth.

“A child’s first right is his or her right of identity and recognition from the government and society,” a Sparc official said.

Highlighting the importance of birth registration as the fundamental right of a child, she said when a child was born his/her basic right was to register the birth with municipality.

She referred to a Unesco report which placed Pakistan among the countries where a large numbers of children went unregistered every year.

According to the report, Punjab registers 88 per cent childbirths and the rate is only 46 per cent in the NWFP.

Defining the benefits of birth registration, the gathering was told that it was important for protection of rights to education and legal facilities provided by the state for children till they turn 18.The town nazim said children without birth certificates were extremely vulnerable to exploitation and easy prey for traffickers, slave traders, unscrupulous employers, militias, criminal gangs and so on.

“If they become victims or culprits of crime, unregistered and undocumented children can be treated as adults when, in fact, they qualify for special protection as juveniles,” he said.

Birth registration was must to get citizens rights, he said adding that property ownership, right to vote, contesting for election, obtaining a passport, having a bank account or getting trade, driving or arms licences – all involved birth registration.

Recognizing the importance of birth registration, the area councilors and nazims said the registration data helped government to make policies and chalk out plans for development projects.

The Sparc officials said illiteracy, registration fees, parental lack of concern about birth registration were the main hindrances in most of the cases.

On the occasion, school children presented tableaus and dramas delivering the message of birth registration.