GCM Objective 4

Ensure that all migrants have proof of legal identity and adequate documentation
Cameroon. Nbdemke Elizabeth, 13, at left, Yeng Chimine, 12, at right, and Vivian, Chimine’s mother, centre, display newly acquired birth certificates which open the door for the girls to attend school, sit for national exams and apply for national ID.
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Issues

Migrant women and girls should have individual and independent documentation. Documentation that is tied to a male spouse or guardian or otherwise not available on gender discriminatory grounds inhibits women’s freedom of movement and may increase their exposure to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and other human rights violations

Holding legal identity documentation facilitates access to regular migration pathways as well as key public services and prevents the breach of rights. Lack of documentation, however, should not preclude migrant women and girls from accessing services, such as health services, including sexual and reproductive health-care services, mental health services and essential services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Measures

  • Equal and independent access to identity and travel documents for all migrant women
  • Issuance of identify and travel documents and civil registry documents in a fast, efficient and non-laborious manner through physically accessible (within physical reach) and economically accessible (affordable or free of charge) services
  • Timely provision of documentation to migrants who may have lost theirs or had it stolen during their journey, including for internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum seekers, victims and survivors of trafficking and smuggled migrants as well as any migrants who use irregular pathways
  • Registration of migrants’ children’s births and subsequent access to birth certificates
  • Prohibition of and sanctions for the retention or destruction of travel or identity documents by employers, recruiters, smugglers and/or traffickers
  • Equal rights for all migrants to acquire, change or retain their nationality and to confer their nationality to their children
  • Information about municipal or citywide identification schemes for migrants that is clear, accessible, including in accessible formats for persons with disabilities, gender-responsive and age-appropriate
  • Access to services, including health services, for all migrants, irrespective of their having documentation
  • Free or affordable legal assistance for all migrant women and girls who may otherwise be denied access to services due to lack of identification provided in languages that they speak and in simple terms
  • COVID-19: Prompt provision of documentation to migrants who need to leave their country of destination because of the impact of the pandemic

Checklist

Question Yes Not yet
Does your State provide equal, non-discriminatory and independent access to identity and travel documents for migrant women, girls and gender non-conforming migrants?
If not yet, is your State planning to repeal all gender-based discrimination in regulations and criteria to obtain documentation?
Does your State register the births of migrants?
If yes, are birth certificates accessible to migrants free of charge?
Does your State issue identify and travel documents and civil registry documents in a fast, efficient and non-laborious manner?
If yes, are relevant services physically accessible (within physical reach), economically accessible (affordable or free of charge) and linguistically accessible (information is provided in appropriate languages and forms—i.e., oral, written, electronically—and in simple language)?
Does your State provide access to documentation for all migrants who may have lost theirs or had it stolen during their journey, including but not limited to internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum seekers, victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants as well as any migrants who use irregular pathways?
Does your State prohibit and sanction the retention or destruction of travel or identity documents by employers and recruiters?
Are migrant women and girls able to access services, including health services, without documentation?
Is legal assistance available to all migrant women and girls without documentation?
Does your State provide equal rights for all migrants to acquire, change or retain their nationality and to confer their nationality to their children?
Does your State provide information about municipal or citywide identification schemes for migrants in a manner that is clear, gender-responsive, age-appropriate and accessible, including in accessible formats for persons with disabilities?
COVID-19: Does your State provide documentation in a timely manner to migrants who need to leave the country of destination because of the impact of the pandemic?