My family was poor, and then my father died and my mother married again. I didn't get along with my stepfather, so I left home. I didn't have my identity papers, and life was hard. Many children go unregistered because their country doesn't set up enough registration offices. Sometimes families can't reach the offices because they live too far away, or the process is confusing or takes too much time.
Some parents are too busy just trying to survive.
Some countries charge a fee for birth registration, making it impossible for poor families. Sometimes babies are abandoned before they are registered and, in some countries, babies without birth certificates can't be adopted. Without a birth certificate, I do not legally exist in the eyes of the government. My rights can be ignored. Meet the experts.