The National Policy to Eradicate Civil Under-Registration of Birth and Late Registration: An Analysis of the Actions Implemented by Public Authorities in the State of Maranhão Based on Target 16.9 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda

Abstract

This article aims to understand and analyze the National Policy for the Eradication of Civil Under-Registration of Birth and Late Registration promoted in Brazil, looking in particular at the state of Maranhão. To this end, based on the idea that birth registration represents a right to visibility, it presents the development of the issue in the country and elsewhere in Latin America, in order to understand the particularities of the policies to eradicate under-registration of birth carried out in the context of Maranhão, considering the actions of the Executive and Legislative Branches, the Public Defender's Office and, above all, the Judiciary. The study is particularly important because the fight against under-registration is imperative and urgent, as it is considered inconceivable that many individuals still live on the margins of society due to the absence of a mere registration act, deprived of basic rights and full citizenship. This is a qualitative study that uses the deductive method to construct its arguments, with a diagnostic procedure and strictly bibliographical and statistical sources. In the end, it is concluded that the coordinated actions carried out in the state of Maranhão have resulted in an effective improvement in social indicators, but this does not rule out the need for continuous efforts to improve public policy, all in order to achieve optimum results and the definitive eradication of under-registration and late birth registration.