The Proof of Registration (PoR) card is an important document and effective protection tool that is issued by the Government of Pakistan and provides temporary legal stay and freedom of movement for the 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Following on from last year, birth registration, birth certificate issuance and the provision of PoR cards to children that have reached five years of age and are entitled to their own card remained a high priority for the Pakistan operation.
In 2018, the target for UNHCR’s prioritized funds for the registration of 90,000 new births was revised to 50,000 births, as fewer Afghan PoR cardholders approached the PCM centre in the first half of the year than expected. The target for the issuance of birth certificates was also revised from 90,000 to 50,000 documents. The target for the issuance of PoR cards for children was revised from 130,000 children to 90,000 children who have reached five years of age and were eligible to receive their individual cards from the PCM centres.
The ongoing registration of new born children up to age five is conducted through the Government of Pakistan’s four Proof of Registration Card Modification Centres (PCM) run by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), with the support of UNHCR. PCM centres supported the modification/replacement of existing cards, registration of new born children up to age five, provision of PoR cards to registered children who have reached five years of age and are now entitled to their own cards as well as the issuance of birth certificates to Afghan children who are already registered in the NADRA database and under the age of 18 years old.
The 2018 estimated target for the number of children below 12 months of age registered and issued with documentation under the regular birth registration procedure was 50,000. During the year, a total of 5,569 children below 12 months were registered during the year out of which 3,625 children (65%) below 12 months were also issued birth registration documentation.
In 2018, a total of 24,775 new-born refugee children were registered (49.5% of the estimated gap), 20,664 children received birth certificates (with an estimated gap of 41%) and 17,635 children above five years of age were issued with individual Proof of Registration (PoR) cards (with an estimated gap of 20%).
Access to PCM centres remained a challenge for those residing in remote areas, particularly as refugees may have to spend a night in the area and have reportedly faced instances of harassment and extortion by local law enforcement authorities while on route to and from the PCMs. To support people in remote areas and in view of the importance of registering the children and upon request of refugee parents, three mobile registration teams were deployed for twelve months in 2018 with equal interval of time in each province (i.e. four months for KP, four months for Punjab and four months for Balochistan).
The permanent use of MRVs greatly facilitated outreach to refugees who could not easily access the existing PCM centres. In 2018, an estimated 19,000 individuals benefited from MRV services countrywide.
In 2018, Mobile Delivery Vehicles (MDV) have been deployed in KP, Baluchistan and Punjab provinces for a period of one month in each location. The MDV deployments were very successful and distributed a total of 9,690 modified cards in remote areas of KP, Baluchistan and Punjab.