Abstract
Under international law, birth registration is considered a human right because it determines access to important legal protections as well as essential services and social supports across the lifespan. Difficulties related to birth registration and the acquisition of personal identification (PID) are largely regarded as problems specific to low-income countries. For Indigenous people in northern and rural Canada, however, lack of PID, like birth certificates, is a common problem that is rooted in the geography of the region as well as historical and contemporary settler colonial policies. This communication elucidates the complicated terrain of unregistered births for those people living in northern Ontario in order to generate discussion about how the social determinants of health for Indigenous people in Canada are affected by PID. Drawing on intake surveys, qualitative interviews and participant observation field notes, we use the case study of “Susan” as an entry point to share insights into the “intergenerational problem” of unregistered births in the region. Susan’s case speaks to how unregistered births and lack of PID disproportionately impacts the health and well-being of Indigenous people and communities in northern Ontario. The implications and the need for further research on this problem in Canada are discussed.
Highlights
Birth registration is considered a fundamental human right and one that “continues to be overlooked” with regard to its significance as a social determinant of health [1]
Dislocation from land, culture and resources, lower educational attainment rates, high rates of food insecurity and limited access to health care, all of which are compounded by racism, have ensured that Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately poorer health outcomes than their non-Indigenous counterparts [23]. This short communication is an effort to elucidate the complicated terrain of unregistered births and lack of personal identification (PID) for those people living in rural northern Ontario, and is intended to generate discussion about how the social determinants of health for Indigenous people in Canada are affected by PID
Challenges regarding literacy in English or French are exacerbated when it comes to birth registration for those women who are evacuated to more southern locations like Thunder Bay for childbirth
Summary
Birth registration is considered a fundamental human right and one that “continues to be overlooked” with regard to its significance as a social determinant of health [1]. According to the United Nations “[a]ccessibility [to birth registration centres] is influenced by location and terrain, infrastructure and the availability of transportation. It should be noted that “[w]hile birth registration does not of itself guarantee education, health, protection and participation in society, its absence can put these fundamental rights beyond the reach of those already on the margins of society” [1]. Research on low income countries has revealed that there are clear links between health outcomes and birth registration [4,5,6,7,8]. In Canada individuals without a birth certificate cannot prove their age and, as a result, are disqualified from receiving child benefits or old age security [9]
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