Access to identity at the heart of equality and citizenship issues

The birth certificate is an official document in which the public authority, the civil registrar, establishes, in an authentic manner, the birth of a person. Although it is obligatory and free of charge, there is the problem of difficult access to the birth certificate, and therefore to identity in Togo; the difficulties of access result not only from the failure to declare births but also from the numerous irregularities that taint the certificates and deprive their holders of their rights. This study, which consisted of interviewing users who frequent the court of Lomé and examining requests to make up for the absence of a birth declaration or to remedy the related irregularities, aims to diagnose the problem while situating responsibilities. This research addresses this problem and the appropriate measures that could bring about a change in the construction of equal access to rights for citizens.