{"id":1185,"date":"2015-06-02T09:06:09","date_gmt":"2015-06-02T16:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2020-05-05T09:51:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T16:51:13","slug":"congress-passes-legislation-protect-children-birth-certificates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/child-protection-news-stories\/congress-passes-legislation-protect-children-birth-certificates","title":{"rendered":"Congress passes legislation to protect children through birth certificates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What if you or your child was never issued a birth certificate? For millions of children around the world, the lack of this key document puts them at greater risk of abuse and leaves them without access to legal protection, healthcare, education, and other essentials. The Girls Count Act will change this.<\/p>\n

One in three children — 230 million under the age of 5 — is significantly more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and lack access to education and health services, all because they do not have a simple piece of paper: a birth certificate.<\/p>\n

But the recently passed Girls Count Act will help change this.<\/p>\n

How the Girls Count Act will make a difference<\/h2>\n

On June 1, Congress passed the Girls Count Act, a law that will help ensure that more children around the world are recognized and protected.<\/p>\n

Birth registration is a simple yet effective solution for reducing the vulnerability of children; but unfortunately, it often falls low on the list of a country’s priorities.<\/p>\n

Sometimes all that’s needed is a nudge or support from the U.S. government to help create a functioning birth registration system.<\/p>\n

It also authorizes the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support programs that promote sustainable registration systems and ensure children are able to access health, education, and social services.<\/p>\n

Despite its name, the Girls Count Act makes it U.S. policy to encourage other countries to ensure that both girls and boys of all ages are full participants in society.<\/p>\n

The perils of being an unrecognized child<\/h2>\n

World Vision child protection expert Jessica Bousquette points out several categories of children who are often completely off the radar to their governments. These include:<\/p>\n