Bringing Birth Registration Closer to Every Child in Zambezia

Birth registration is a fundamental human right, yet access to it remains one of the most pressing challenges in Mozambique, especially for girls and young women in vulnerable situations. To address this gap, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Zambezia Provincial Justice and Labour Service Directorate and the local theatre group Oprimido, launched a mobile birth registration campaign in the districts of Maganja da Costa and Pebane. The initiative was carried out under the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, from 26 May to 6 June 2025. 

During the campaign, a total of 6,829 children were registered, including 3,460 girls. While the campaign was open to all children in need of birth registration, special attention was given to reaching adolescent girls at risk of child marriage and children born from child marriages. 

Birth registration is more than a legal formality. It is a critical gateway to essential rights and services and a powerful safeguard against exploitation and abuse. Without legal identity, children, particularly girls, can be more vulnerable to violence, including early marriage. In judicial cases involving child marriage or abuse, the absence of official birth records can delay legal proceedings and, in some instances, allow perpetrators to use the lack of documentation in their defence. 

By bringing registration services closer to families and engaging communities through theatre and awareness activities, the campaign not only ensured access to legal identity for thousands of children but also strengthened local systems to better protect their rights. 

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage is generously funded by the Governments of Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, the European Union through the Spotlight Initiative, and Zonta International. 

More information on the Global Programme to End Child Marriage may be found here.