Protection of Refugee Children’s Rights in Ethiopia: Appraisal of Legal Frameworks and Application of the Right to Documentation
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Date
2022-01-30
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abstract
Access to documentation is one of the most basic human rights which allow someone to hold other rights under the law. It also plays a great role in realizing the several rights of the child. Accordingly, implementation of documentation starts from enacting the law and establishing institutions that deal with the task of providing identity, entitlements as well as civil documentation. Ethiopia, being a party to different international and regional human rights and specific refugee conventions, must develop an effective system of access to documentation of refugee children to realize the right of the child. Consequently, Ethiopia has amended laws on registration of vital events to include foreign nationals including refugees, and also amended the refugee proclamation. Based on this, the research assessed the implementation of protection of refugee children’s rights in Ethiopia focusing on an appraisal of legal frameworks and application of the right to documentation and its implication for the realization of the right of the refugee child.
The research found that access to documentation law is not effectively implemented and much has yet to be done to realize the right of refugee children. Low level of awareness about the existing law, lack of coordination among organs responsible for implementation, gaps and shortcomings of the law, and budget constraints hampered effective implementation of access to documentation of refugee children in Ethiopia; this has had huge negative impacts on the realization of their human right today and also in the future.