Birth Certificates, Birth Registration and the Denial of Human Rights: Evidence from Tanzania National Panel Data 2010/11

Abstract

In many countries, a birth certificate is necessary to attend school, receive health care, inherit property, open a bank account, gain access to credit, obtain other forms of identification, vote, and receive a death certificate (Hunter and Brill, 2016). A birth certificate is proof of identity, citizenship and serves as a gateway to the realisation of other rights for children. It also serves as evidence that a child has been registered. Using evidence from the Tanzania National Panel Data 2010/11, I show that birth registration predicts lower odds for possessing a birth certificate for children in Tanzania. Instead, the education of the mother and the ability of households to pay for their own malaria bed nets, serve as the strongest predictors for possessing birth certificates in Tanzania. The article concludes with recommendations for improving birth registration and certification in Tanzania.