Having access to legal identity documents is a fundamental human right and essential to securing all our other rights. Unfortunately, many children around the world are not registered at birth. In this blog, the Regional Advocacy and Programmes team reflects on the importance of birth registration and the barriers that marginalised communities, including communities of slave descent in the West African Sahel face in accessing a legal identity
Birth registration is often the first and most fundamental step in establishing our legal existence. But in the West African Sahel, many children are not registered at birth or even later in life. In 2024, UNICEF estimated that 37% of children across West Africa did not have birth registrations and proof of legal identity.
Without birth certificates or identity documents, people are effectively invisible to the state.
This has important human rights implications. Access to education, healthcare, formal employment, legal protection, social services, and the right to vote all depend on birth registration.
Birth registration and slavery
Lack of birth registration can be understood as both a consequence and an enabler of slavery today, including descent-based slavery.
People in descent-based slavery live under the full control of so-called “masters” and are exploited for their labour without any choice, freedom of movement, financial resources, or access to information. As they are born into slavery and seen as being the “property” of slave-owning families, survivors and people of slave descent often do not have legal identification.
In cases where children are conceived through abuse, including by “masters”, paternity may be denied – and in some countries, it is still not possible for single mothers to register their children under their own names.
What is descent-based slavery?
Descent-based slavery is a form of slavery where people are born into exploitation because their ancestors were enslaved. Their status is inherited across generations, often tied to caste-like systems, ethnicity, or social hierarchy. People in descent-based slavery are frequently denied basic rights, face severe discrimination and stigmatisation, and are treated as property by those who claim ownership over them.
In contexts where slavery persists, the absence of identity documents can:
- Prevent people from leaving situations of exploitation and abuse as they are unable to prove their identity outside of the “master’s” household,
- Limit survivors’ access to resources or support to be able to rebuild their lives in freedom.
- Limit or deny access to land ownership, education, healthcare, formal employment, legal protection, and the right to vote
Many who escape slavery report being unable to access healthcare, formal employment, or legal protection, and face significant barriers to accessing or securing rights to the land they cultivate and depend on for their livelihoods. Their children may also be prevented from attending school. These barriers reinforce cycles of vulnerability and exclusion across different generations, as children born into slavery or of slave descent are unable to escape the enslaving family, or become vulnerable to other forms of exploitation as their parents were. Survivors of slavery and their descendants often have no pathway out of dependence when they lack civil registration.
Countries in the Sahel region of West Africa have made progress towards universal birth registration over the past 15 years, but significant barriers remain. In Niger and Mauritania, the issue is still widespread in communities of slave descent.
The situation in Niger
In Niger, birth registration is required to access formal education. Children without birth certificates are denied school enrolment, a barrier that disproportionately affects marginalised children who already face social and economic exclusion.
Unregistered children are also excluded from national statistics, public policies, and social protection programmes. As a result, their rights to be heard and to participate fully in society are compromised.
Several related factors limit progress towards universal birth registration in Niger:
- Limited resources and infrastructure: Civil registry services often lack the financial and human resources to register all births. Inadequate infrastructure, including insufficient and inaccessible registry offices, further weakens the system.
- Lack of access to health services: Limited access to maternal and child health services, particularly in rural areas, means many women give birth at home and are less likely to visit a clinic for antenatal or postnatal care. This reduces opportunities for births to be officially recorded or for parents to be informed about registration procedures.
- Low literacy rates and administrative complexity: Bureaucratic procedures can make the registration process confusing and intimidating for parents, particularly those in remote areas or with limited literacy.
- Lack of awareness: Awareness-raising efforts are often inadequate, especially in remote areas and among vulnerable populations. Hausa is the most widely spoken language in Niger, but information is often provided in French and through channels such as TV and radio, which many people cannot access.
- Geographical barriers and mobility: Families in rural or remote areas, as well as nomadic or displaced populations, may have limited or no access to registration offices.
- Costs: Fees linked to late registration and related expenses, such as transport, may discourage parents from registering births.
The situation in Mauritania
In Mauritania, birth registration and access to civil status documents are governed by a centralised system that requires families to register births within a set timeframe. In practice, registration often depends on presenting multiple documents, including proof of a parent’s identity, and, in many cases, a marriage certificate.
When a birth is not registered on time, the process becomes significantly more complex. Late registration involves additional administrative steps and verification by religious or local authorities. Families may be asked to provide further documentation or rely on testimony from witnesses or community members to establish a child’s identity. These procedures are particularly difficult for people who already lack identity documents.
While intended to ensure accuracy, these requirements create serious barriers for marginalised families. The system depends heavily on parents already having identity documents, meaning those who were never registered themselves face major challenges when registering their children. This creates a cycle in which the lack of documentation is passed from one generation to the next.
Low literacy rates and distance compound these barriers. This can make administrative procedures feel even more challenging. Communities of slave descent often live in remote locations, requiring long journeys to registration offices. Combined with economic vulnerability, the time and cost of registration can be significant barriers.
During his 2022 visit, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery recognised measures taken by the Mauritanian government, including allowing single mothers to register children in their own names and enabling the public prosecutor to register street children, including those who have escaped slavery. However, he also confirmed that enslaved persons and their descendants continue to face significant barriers to civil registration, including discrimination by local officials, and stressed the need for urgent action.
Looking ahead
Birth registration and access to identity documents are foundational to the realisation of human rights. In West Africa, failures in civil registration systems disproportionately affect people living in poverty, marginalised groups, and those affected by slavery.
As the case studies in Niger and Mauritania show, administrative complexity, cost, distance, discrimination, and low literacy combine to exclude survivors of slavery and people of slave descent from legal recognition. Without identity, freedom remains fragile and the risk of exploitation persists.
Addressing these barriers is essential to preventing modern slavery and ensuring that survivors and people of slave descent can access protection, services, and real opportunities to rebuild their lives.
How Anti-Slavery International is responding
Anti-Slavery International works with in-country partners to support people of slave-descent to apply for and receive their birth registrations and ID documents. Our partners travel with local authorities to deliver registration services in different communities, rather than requiring people to make long journeys to the nearest government office.
We work directly with governments through continued advocacy and official convenings to demonstrate the importance of removing barriers to obtaining ID documents and making the system easier to navigate.
How you can help
Lack of legal identity should never stand in the way of freedom. By supporting Anti-Slavery International, you can help ensure that people affected by slavery have access to birth registration, identity documents, and the protections they provide.
Your support enables us to work alongside local partners, advocate for inclusive policies, and support survivors to rebuild their lives with dignity and security.
Support our work today and help ensure that everyone is recognised, protected, and free.