Namibia

In Namibia, birth registration is blocked for children of asylum seekers and refugees. CERD (2008) and the CRC (2012) recommended extending services to this population, the majority of whom come from Angola. Namibia has a policy of containing refugees in the Osire refugee camp, and has been called on to stop this practice. If parents are unable to register children in the camp, and unable to leave it, no birth certificate can be procured. UNHCR facilitated a mass registration exercise in the Osire camp in 2007. In 2016 the agency noted that authorities have struggled for years to issue documentation to refugees and asylum seekers. Identity documents that had been issued were not recognized as official government documents by many institutions. In 2024 the CRC recommended that Namibia strengthen its efforts to ensure that all children, including asylum-seeking and refugee children, have access to birth registration and identity documents.