7.
Under article 24, paragraph 2, every child has the right to be registered
immediately after birth and to have a name. In the Committee’s opinion, this
provision should be interpreted as being closely linked to the provision concerning the
right to special measures of protection and it is designed to promote recognition of the
child’s legal personality. Providing for the right to have a name is of special
importance in the case of children born out of wedlock. The main purpose of the
obligation to register children after birth is to reduce the danger of abduction, sale of
or traffic in children, or of other types of treatment that are incompatible with the
enjoyment of the rights provided for in the Covenant. Reports by States parties
should indicate in detail the measures that ensure the immediate registration of
children born in their territory.
8.
Special attention should also be paid, in the context of the protection to be
granted to children, to the right of every child to acquire a nationality, as provided for
in article 24, paragraph 3. While the purpose of this provision is to prevent a child
from being afforded less protection by society and the State because he is stateless, it
does not necessarily make it an obligation for States to give their nationality to every
child born in their territory. However, States are required to adopt every appropriate
measure, both internally and in cooperation with other States, to ensure that every
child has a nationality when he is born. In this connection, no discrimination with
regard to the acquisition of nationality should be admissible under internal law as
between legitimate children and children born out of wedlock or of stateless parents or
based on the nationality status of one or both of the parents. The measures adopted to
ensure that children have a nationality should always be referred to in reports by
States parties.