The Problem Of Identity on Children Without Birth Certificate

This paper surveys the sense of identity in children without birth certification and the numerous problems they face with it. As there are not so many surveys conducted on this and nowadays the birth certification is known as one of the standards and requirements of living in modern societies, this paper seeks to explore the influence of birth certification and its role in the life of children,. Due to the lack of prior research in this field, Grounded Theory was used and the sampling was targeted. The research data were collected through individually interviewing and group discussions with 21 children without birth registration, living in Khak-Sefid and Darvaze-Ghaar regions, Tehran, Iran; were held. Research findings show child’s lack of identity establishment. Children without birth certification consider having a birth certification as the factor of accessing to liberation and enjoying social rights. Lack of birth certification makes them confronting many problems, such as lack of access to welfare, training and educational facilities, dropouts, sense of humiliation, powerlessness and absurdity. Finally, these problems cause difficulties in one’s identity, identification process and self-discovery in the society.