An estimated 1 billion people around the world cannot officially prove their identity, and 47% of these are children (World Bank, 2018). Your birth certificate proves you exist. Without it, girls around the world struggle to prove their age, and can be forced into child marriage.
Bangladesh has the fourth highest rates of child marriage in the world, with over 50% of girls married before their 18th birthday. Plan International has been working with the Bangladesh government to roll out OpenCRVS, to ensure all children are registered and receive a much needed birth certificate that can protect them from early marriage, child trafficking and child labour.