The Community has emphasized the importance of birth registration several times, especially in many African countries, where many children live without the state even knowing it, so without a legally recognized identity, and consequently no rights, not even the most basic freedom .
This tragedy happens in Maroua, in northern Cameroon, where two young men, Jonas and Ernest , 14 respectively 12 years of age, were locked up in the juvenile detention center on suspicion of being linked to Boko Haram because they had never been registered with the state.
The Community of Sant’Egidio, who has been visiting the Maroua prison, took an active role in obtaining registration for the two children. Once the two boys were registered, they were released. Their friends of the Community’s took them back to their villages, where their families and friends joyfully awaited their return and liberation.