Waiting for a Sense of Identity
By: Ratana Lay and Loeurt Lun , Communications Officers, Cambodia
Forced from Thailand due to political unrest after spending much of the last 10 years working in the country, Sokhoeurt now faces life back in Cambodia with no official documents to prove her family’s identity.
“Please don’t ask me about them,” Sokhoeurt says while her two daughters sit beside her and her one-year-old son sits on her thigh.
“I don’t know what birth certificates are.”
The girls, 11-year-old Doeurb and six-year-old Sokhatt have never been to school. None of three children have a birth certificate.
Their mother admits the family lacks ID cards, passports, a family book and resident books.
Why do birth certificates matter?
In Cambodia, identity documents help ensure children get access to basic services including:
- Immunisations
- Health care
- School enrollment at the age of 6
- Safe cross-border travel
They are essential to prevent child labour, counter child marriage and reduce trafficking.
How did these children miss out on getting their birth certificates? Sokhoeurt met her husband when she was 14.
To support their three children and her elderly mother, the couple migrated from Cambodia to neighbouring Thailand. During the last 10 years, Sokhoeurt and her family spent most of their time working in Thailand.
Their daughters did not attend school because they also crossed the border to look after their younger brother while their parents worked.
A village full of people without an identity
Due to mid-2014’s political unrest in Thailand, Sokhoeurt and her family were forced to move back to Cambodia.
They were among thousands of other Cambodians who returned from working in Thailand at that time and now stay in a border town in northwestern Cambodia.
Sophal, a volunteer working with World Vision to promote child rights in the community, says, “Half of the children in the village don’t have birth certificates or other documents certifying birth.”
Through his voluntary work Sophal realised he too should apply for his own birth certificate and those for his son and daughter. Before that, he was unaware the document was useful for him and required for his children to enroll in school.
To improve the situation, World Vision will conduct a widespread campaign in conjunction with the local authorities on registration for birth certificates and the secondary document certifying birth.
Sokhoeurt tells us that she would love for her daughter to go to school. However, only with the necessary documents will the school accept her.
“Ensuring families have official identity documents is so important. World Vision regularly conducts awareness campaigns to communities on this topic. We also work closely with government to make the system easier to navigate for families,” says Vibol Chab, Operations Director of World Vision in Cambodia.
“Our goal is to see all children in Cambodia registered so they get the government services – education, healthcare and protection – they are entitled to.”