In large parts of Africa, only half of all children are registered at birth. As a result, these unregistered children cannot, or only with difficultly, make claim to essential human rights later in life, be it healthcare, education or financial support. A new study by Anne Lieke Ebbers and Jeroen Smits of Radboud University identifies the factors that contribute to children failing to be registered and suggests how this far-reaching problem could be addressed. The study will be published today in PLOS ONE.