Ecuador

Children born to Ecuadorian parents living abroad face difficulties getting registered and acquiring a birth certificate at consulates. Documentary barriers may stall or block birth registration, as foreign documents need to be translated into Spanish. In addition, if a parent’s name is mismatched on the child’s foreign birth certificate and the parent’s Ecuadorian birth certificate, a common issue due to transliteration (e.g. “Jóse” appearing as “Jose”), applications for Ecuadorian registration may stall. In 2010 the CMW expressed concern about the cases of children of Ecuadorians residing abroad who have not obtained Ecuadorian identity documents or who are not registered and who have been denied entry to the State party by the migration authorities under the Migration Act. The Committee recommended that Ecuador avoid using procedures that violate the human rights of children of Ecuadorians residing abroad, and that it should ensure that such children are registered.