The preservation of a child’s identity– including name, nationality and family relations – is a fundamental right (Article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child) and is particularly essential for children who are deprived of their family environment and are in need of alternative care. This month’s issue of the BCN newsletter, published in partnership with Child Identity Protection, focuses on the protection of identity rights for children in care or at risk of being placed in care.
It features recent research, documentation of promising practices, and testimonies that underscore the importance of an accurate and fully transparent identity for each child from birth and throughout life. These resources explore practices that can lead to gaps in birth information (naissance sous X, baby boxes, poverty and discrimination leading to abandonment, anonymous gamete donations, etc.) and highlight the challenges of protecting the child’s identity in the context of alternative care decisions and transitions.
