“A girl is born with boundless potential…” but this potential will only be realized if her birth, marriage, and more are registered.
This is the message highlighted by a new video launched today by Data2X. This video, developed in partnership with the Centre of Excellence for CRVS Systems at the International Development Research Centre, contends that civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) is important for all people, but especially critical for women and girls because it enables them to access services (like education) and exercise rights (like the right to vote) which have important effects on their agency and on breaking the cycle of poverty in their communities.
Over the past year, Data2X has worked with the Centre of Excellence to shine a spotlight on the gender dimensions of CRVS, using infographics and events to help convey this message.
This work is especially significant this year as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Women and girls continue to lag behind men and boys on a vast number of key development indicators at the same time as the attentions of gender equality advocates and policymakers are tugged in a myriad of directions. This often forces CRVS to compete amid many issue areas in a crowded development space.
We maintain that CRVS is deserving of energy and resources because improving these systems has enormous potential for positive impact — from gender equality to poverty alleviation and more.
As the video states in closing, “If you want to fight for gender equality and don’t know where to start, start here.”