Ecuador

Impact of the universal birth registration campaign

Prior to the launch of the universal birth registration campaign 

In 2005 there were 1.5 million people whose birth had not been registered. This figure included 600,000 under-18s and 200,000 nationalities and indigenous peoples.   

Following the campaign 

In 2009, it was estimated that the number whose birth had not been registered had fallen by 40% to 900,000 people. The numbers of under-18s halved to 300,000 and unregistered nationalities and indigenous peoples also halved to  100,000.

Government policy and practice on birth registration 

The Ecuadorian state identified birth registration as a critical problem, adopting policy and taking responsibility. A study by the Childhood Observatory, based on statistics from the civil registration office and the projected population census, estimated that 1,500,000 citizens had not been registered, including 600,000 under-18s.

To address this problem, the Ecuadorian state – through the vice-presidency of the Republic, INNFA (National Institute for the Child and Family), National Council of Childhood and Adolescence, National Council of Modernization (CONAM, responsible for the national main office of the civil registration system), UNICEF and Plan – signed an agreement on joint action to improve the situation for the many Ecuadorians who lack birth records, particularly children and adolescents. 

The registration and first identification campaign, "Together for the Right to an Identity", was launched.          

Universal birth rights campaign strategy

The campaign involved government action in partnership with other institutions through the launch of "Together for the Right to an Identity" in 2006.   

This campaign took two initial key actions:  

• research with the Observatory of Children and Adolescents' Rights about the late registration situation in Ecuador   
• a review of the legal framework and procedures for registration with the aim of developing a people-friendly proposal (avoiding fines and formalities).

The objectives of the "Together for the Right to an Identity” campaign were to universalise identification, eliminate sub-registration and eradicate late registration.    

In the first stage of the campaign, and with the research data, the first registration action took place through mobile brigades, with a pilot project in Sarayaku in the Pastaza province. During this stage, the campaign provided first-time identification and renewal services, as well as current and late registration of births, in 15 cantons in the coast, highlands and jungle regions. These were: Palenque, Baba and Buena Fé in Los Rios province; Saraguro and Chaguarpamba, in Loja; Pimampiro, Cotacachi and Ambuquí in Imbabura; Joya de los Sachas in Orellana; Taisha and Tiwintza in Morona Santiago; Chillanes in Bolivar; Pedernales and San Vicente in Manabí; Salitre in Guayas; and Perucho in Pichincha.  

During this first phase in the different cantons, the brigades realised that Ecuadorians were still not aware of the importance of prompt registration of their children and its benefits.   

In 2007, the second phase of “Together for the right to an Identity” began with the coverage of the brigades expanded to 11 provinces. This work was more complicated as the number of Ecuadorians who were registered and had an ID was higher.  The mobile brigades worked in the provinces of Azuay, Carchi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Rios; and in the five Amazon provinces: Morona Santiago, Pastaza, Zamora Chinchipe, Sucumbios and Orellana.

The brigades’ work was facilitated by trained technical teams from the civil registration office and four portable registration kits. They also had satellite kits and two mobile phones that connected to the internet.  

Plan supported phase two of the campaign in the intervention areas of each programme unit, and provided technical assistance on the communication strategy at local and national level.   

“Together for the Right to an Identity” continued in 2008. The results of the work done by registration brigades were:  

To strengthen the process, Plan signed a cooperation agreement with the vice presidency of the Republic, INNFA, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to develop a strategy to reinforce the registration of newborns in health units.  A newborn is much more likely to be registered immediately if the mother gives birth in a health unit. The opportunity is lost if the mother and baby are discharged from hospital without registering the child. The proposal has the following objectives:   

• To design a strategy to guarantee the immediate registration of newborns in Ecuador, including:  

• The development and implementation of a permanent registration system of newborns in the health units of the Ministry of Public Health.  
• Strengthening the permanent and existing civil registration units for the registration of newborns.   
• Strengthening the relationship between health services and civil registration to guarantee the immediate registration of newborns.   
• An information system for registrations made in health services that facilitates the transfer of information from health units to the civil registration office.   
• The design of a pilot project based on the strategy to guarantee the immediate registration of newborns in health units from the Ministry of Health and other health institutions. 

• To define the components for the registration of children and adolescents in health units for the national identity and identification programme.  
• To present the strategy to the technical committee of the national identity and identification programme.   
• To prepare the necessary technical documentation required for the implementation process.   

The technical report for the implementation of the pilot project for the registration of newborns in health units and hospitals in the country is now ready, and some health units and hospitals have already started the pilot project on birth registration information systems.   

Outcomes

• The most important aspect of the campaign was that the Ecuadorian state identified birth registration as a critical problem and took up the issue. Other institutions supported the policy implementation.  
• The campaign has had national impact, with the necessary resources allocated for its implementation.  
• As the move came from the government and the main registration institution, the civil registration office, it was possible to give this institution the necessary capacity to ensure implementation of the birth registration and identification programme for children and adolescents.  
• The proposal did not end with the campaign, but is a continuous process that started with its launch in 2006. The civil registration office’s annual work plan now incorporates mobile registration and identification brigades.    
• The process was linked to the Ministry of Health to develop an immediate registration system for newborns in health centres, and this has already been implemented in some health facilities.   
• Linking services to the user has been a key action for the campaign, especially through mobile registration and identification brigades. It has also led to the proposal of permanent civil registration units in some isolated and indigenous areas.   
• Formal health systems in public hospitals, maternity units, health centres and private clinics now include systems to register the baby immediately after delivery. So, birth registration will become a requirement for the mother and baby to be discharged from a health facility.   
• The campaign’s proposal for registration and identification was supported by temporary governmental decrees releasing costs for registration and identification and reducing the requirements.   
• Other key action has been working in alliance with other stakeholders – the government has been the main actor, and national and international non-governmental organisations have been essential partners.  
• The process for mobile registration and identification brigades has been possible with the participation of communities. They are involved from the beginning in planning and then the registration process itself.  
• The mobile registration and identification brigades are preferably carried out in marginal rural and indigenous areas.  
• The registration and identification process is part of the social programme framework proposal promoted by the government, and promotes the rights to health, education and respectful treatment.  

Good practice

• One of the first key actions to ensure that the campaign went well was that it was part of the modernisation of the national civil registration and identification system. The main objective of this project was to guarantee the identity, registration and actions related to the civil status of all people in Ecuador through a unique, integral and effective process. This project was designed to guarantee the universal access to civil registration and identification services for Ecuadorians.  
• Research about late registration in Ecuador by the Observatory of Children and Adolescents’ Rights facilitated the prioritisation of programme interventions and the campaign in areas where most of the population is indigenous.   
• The registration and first identification campaign, "Together for the Right to an Identity", was framed by the national registration and identification programme, “Give your Name to Ecuador”, which was boosted by the Ecuadorian government with support from national and international non-governmental organisations. The first campaign’s objective was to facilitate user access to eradicate late registration and to universalise birth registration and identification in Ecuador. The campaign emphasised mobile registration and identification brigades to bring the service close to the population. It had five methodological principles:  

1. to emphasise citizens’ participation in the local context; 
2. to prioritise attention to children and adolescents; 
3. to give attention to the elderly; 
4. to guarantee respectful treatment to all users; 
5. to plan together with local players; 

 as well as to carry out follow-up and monitoring with the civil registration office.   

• The standardisation of procedures for the civil registration and identification system were developed through which legal regulations allow nationalities and indigenous peoples to preserve their identity and cultural features, and which reduce the administrative procedures for birth registration.  These regulations were published in the Official Gazette No. 214, 19 November 2007.   
• The incorporation of the civil registration system into formal health facilities, especially maternity units, hospitals, health centres and private clinics, to register newborns immediately after birth. 

Challenges, gaps and barriers

• The high turnover of government’s staff could limit the continuity of programmes and campaigns, even though they are part of public policies and included in the country’s constitution.   
• In addition to the limited health services in rural areas, women, especially peasants and indigenous peoples, face a conflict between their reproductive practices and the type of healthcare they receive in public health facilities.  As a result, very few women attend a hospital to give birth, limiting the possibility of early birth registration.  
• Bureaucratic and administrative obstacles are the main reasons for late or no registration, as well as the lack of automated civil registration system and, in some cases, corruption of employees from the national civil registration and identification system.   
• Some limitations are related to cultural barriers and the lack of awareness about the topic, as many people do not understand the importance of registering their children.   
• A key challenge is to sustain mobile registration and identification brigades as a permanent programme to reach distant and marginal population and give them the opportunity to realise this right.  
• Ensuring the registration and identification programme remains articulated to those concerning health, education, income and respectful treatment is another important challenge.  

National level recommendations 

Based on the experience of mobile registration and identification brigades, other strategies are necessary to strengthen birth registration practices in alignment with user needs.   

• It is important for the government to continue encouraging this process and to strengthen the civil registration office as the body to provide quality and accessible services.   
• It is necessary to continue working with mobile brigades as a permanent programme of the civil registration office.   
• It is necessary to continue creating civil registration units in health facilities and to link registration services with birth attendants and health promoters after they are trained as birth registration promoters

Future activities 

We plan to continue working on the programme and campaign for the next four years of the current Ecudaorian government, as this is part of its social plan. It is important to ensure that the infrastructure and capacity installed remain part of the civil registration system to provide effective services and to enable access to all.   

Do you have any high-profile supporters of Plan’s UBR campaign? 

In Ecuador, UBR is a countrywide campaign led by the government in alliance with national and international organisations, including Plan. The government is the main sponsor, and international funds are used only for specific purposes.   

Case studies

THE TEACHER WAS LOOKING FOR THE BRIGADE CHIEF  by Edwin Madrid

“I am teacher Marco Washik, principal of Shimwikat de Tsentsakentsa School, Tuutinentsa parish in Morona Santiago province.  I am 35 years old and I work with three other teachers. If a civil registration brigade is here, I have the obligation to work for the school children to ensure they get their personal documentation,” said Marco firmly, his boots covered with mud. He had come to talk to the brigade chief.  

“Children will get their identification card for the first time; we’ve travelled for five hours to ensure they can be here today. There are 51 students, 25 boys and 26 girls, from the first to the sixth level of basic education, and they duly enrolled.”  The school principal of Tsentsakentsa looked worried and wanted to talk to the person in charge of the brigade to explain their needs. “I came first to talk to the brigade chief to request that we are attended first because we cannot afford to stay here for the day – it’s very costly to pay for lodging and food. I hope your answer is positive so that when children arrive here, everything is ready. Their parents trusted us to see that all children should get their ID card.”  

Marco stressed that his students should attend. “My work with parents was hard; they did not have money to pay for the trip or food. But, I explained that it was important to have the ID card, and they agreed and contributed to send us here, Tuutinentsa parish, where the brigade is working today.” 

He said that they had come to Tuutinentsa because the distance to go to Macas city to get the ID card was tremendous, and the cost would be too expensive, and it would have taken years for the child to get their ID. It was important to obtain the ID today, he said, because it would be valid for 12 years, when the children would be old enough to travel to the capital of the province to renew it.   

However, his concern increased while walking around looking for the brigade chief and watching the long lines. “The problem is that some children have birth certificates but others don’t. First, it is necessary to register children without a certificate, and then we have to get them a certificate and then the ID card: is a long process. They were enrolled at school without documentation because children cannot be denied the right to education, even though they lack a birth certificate. For that reason, I need to ensure that all the students get their legal documents today to avoid future problems.” Marco added that as a teacher, he understood his role as a guide and educator of children and of the community. 

AT THE AGE OF 65, ROSA’S MUM WILL BECOME ECUADORIAN CITIZEN by Edwin Madrid

Rosa Chumak, 37 years old, has arrived from Taisha with her mother to get her registered with the civil registration brigade working in Tuutinentsa. Her mother speaks practically no Spanish, so Rosa started to answer for her. She is worried for her mother because she is undocumented and alone. The first thing is to register her mother, then to get the birth certificate and finally the ID card that will allow her to claim the government’s human development bonus.  Above all, Rosa said she wanted her mother to get the Ecuadorian ID card so that she can die in peace as an Ecuadorian citizen.  

Rosa, who has eight children, does have the ID document; all her children are registered and have a birth certificate. She told us that when her father died, other people took care of her, but she never forgot her own mother.  She is sad because none of her four sisters and six brothers lives with her mother, who has to take care of herself alone.  They walked for four hours from Taisha, and yesterday she was sad because she was told her mother’s registration may be annulled. “But they did not understand or know that my mother had never been registered, so I talked to them and they said my mother will get registered and will receive and ID card.”  

Rosa said she’s “very happy” about this.

READY TO WALK IN THE JUNGLE … NO FOOD, NO SLEEP… IT WAS ALL WORTH IT, JUST TO GET MY IDENTITY CARD by Edwin Madrid

Tsunka is an Achuar man. He is 58 years old and comes from Wichim. His name means “yellow bird”, a beautiful eye-catching bird of the jungle that can just be seen in the distance. To travel from his community to Tuutinentsa – where a mobile brigade from the civil registration office is registering people from faraway villages – he prepared himself in a very special way. He drew horizontal lines in his face with “achiote”; in his nose, those lines look like a diamond-shaped pattern. This painting represents the power he received when offering a sacrifice to get ready to cross the jungle, even for three days, without food or sleep.

Tsunka has seven children and has come to Tuutinentsa with all his family, after a one-day walk, just to be registered and to get his ID card. He believes this is very important for his children, his wife and himself, as Ecuadorians. For the sake of his family, he hopes not to have any problem registering for the people’s development bonus that the government is offering.

Tsunka is a farmer in his community and works in a cooperative organisation. He is worried that he cannot stay longer because he has to go back to work tomorrow. He says that there are about a hundred people in his community and that, two months ago, everybody heard on the radio that the registration brigades were coming – and working alongside the people’s development bonus staff - and that about 60 people were coming.

A WHOLE FAMILY’S REGISTRATION  by Edwin Madrid

“My name is Pascual Warosh. I come from the community of Pambatsa. I do not have any formal occupation; I have learned something about electricity in workshops organised by Taisha City Council. I have come here to get identification cards for my kids because I know this is a very important document for them, so they can feel part of their community in Ecuador. I already have my personal identification card. My wife has also come to renew hers. Her name is Laura Chumat, she is 21. We knew about the registration brigades through the local authorities.

We all have walked four hours to get here. I have just three kids, all boys. The oldest is three years, four months; the second is 19 months and the youngest is just four months old. I feel proud they can have their personal identification card. I thank the registration brigades for the service they are giving communities where nobody came before and where, most of the time, children grew up without any identification document.

If this registration work had not been available for us here, I would have had to go to Macas and spend about 300 dollars to pay for the tickets and food and stay for one or two days for the whole family. Now, I have only spent three dollars. I hope to finish this in the afternoon, so I can go back to my community.

I think having my kids’ identification cards will help me for any procedure I might need to do. 

And other families have benefited from this service, thanks to the registration brigades that worked at Tuutinentsa, Taisha canton.

ÁNGEL SHARUP … HOPING TO GET HIS NEW PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD by Edwin Madrid

Ángel Sharup comes from Sheramentsa. He is 48 years old and has nine children. But to register himself in Tuutinentsa, he came with just three of his sons and his wife because, as he says: “It is very difficult to come here. It’s a two-day trip and it is hard for all the kids because we cannot get enough food for everybody and we have to sleep wherever we are when the night comes. Today, just we have got here, but maybe tomorrow the rest of the family will arrive too.” He works with a machete in peanut, coffee and banana plantations in his community.

He adds: “We are suffering people, and we are so excluded that no institution recognises us.” He explains that he has had some difficulties with this procedure because he was born in another canton and the brigade in Tuutinentsa does not have his records. He needs to get his birth certificate in Méndez, where he was born. 

“I have come with my wife too so she can receive the bonus; women here are also forgotten. I am taking advantage of the registration brigade being here for my sons to get their identification cards too, so for the first time they can also be recognised by the government as Ecuadorian citizens.”

Angel says that: “More than 400 people live in Sheramentsa and maybe 50 or 60 have come today, but many others are coming too. We asked the president of the local government office to send a boat to Puerto Morona, where there are more than a hundred people waiting, but the president says there is no money. That’s why we have walked here.”

He adds: “For me, it is important to have my own identification card to be an Ecuadorian, recognised by the government, because those without their identification cards mean nothing to the government. It would be good for all if they come here to be registered.”

“THE IDENTIFICATION CARD IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES MY DAUGHTER AND GRANDSON BECOME REAL ECUADORIANS “

A three-generation family walked six days – from the Peruvian border - to get it. by Edwin Madrid

We met Domingo Sombra Yanchi, a 53-year-old man, who had walked from Kapitian, near the Peruvian border. He arrived with his daughter and grandson at Tuutinentsa, where the registration brigade is working. This three-generation family had walked six days to get their identity cards, needed for voting and other procedures. He thanked these government officials as it was the first time he had seen this type of campaign to get registered.

Domingo says the distance doesn’t bother him because he finally has an identification card and feels a real Ecuadorian, and that is why it was worth walking for six days He says that about 500 people are coming from his community and others around it, and more who cannot make it because there are no boats. He hopes that a leader will send fuel for the boats to transport them to come and register. 

With all his family documents in order, Domingo Sombra feels very happy. He says that if he had not made the effort for the trip, he, his daughter and grandson wouldn’t be real persons and Ecuadorian citizens, as this is the first time they have had their identification cards.