Invisibility of Neonatal Deaths in the Civil Registration System: Evidence from India

Improvements in birth and death registration have been seen in India recently but they continue to be poor in the state of Bihar, which accounts for a significant proportion of neonatal mortality in India. We undertook an assessment to understand the current status of and barriers to improving the coverage of birth and neonatal death registration.

Closing the Gap of Uncounted Children Born in Facilities Globally: Literature Review and Qualitative Research 

Identity registration is crucial in providing children with important rights, including access to health care and education, as well as a legal identity and access to essential services. Globally, approximately 166 million children under five (just under 25%) are unregistered, yet more than 80% of births in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) occur within health facilities. There is a gap between high rates of facility births and low birth registration rates, which highlights the opportunity for facility-based initiatives to address this gap. This study, conducted in association with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), reviews facility-based birth registration initiatives, and provides recommendations to close the gap between high rates of facility births and lower birth registration rates in LMICs.

Causes of Maternal Mortality among Female Sex Workers: Results of First Ever Multi-country Study 

The majority of studies on female sex workers (FSWs) focus on morbidity while data on mortality are scarce. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where civil registry and vital statistics data are often incomplete and FSWs may not be identified as such in official registries, identifying causes of mortality among FSWs has proven challenging.

The Social, Economic, Emotional, and Physical Experiences and Consequences of Informal Caregiving among Caregivers for Women with Female Genital Fistula in Uganda: A Mixed Methods Study 

Informal caregivers remain critical across the care continuum for women with genital fistula in lower-resource settings, especially where the health workforce is overburdened and underfunded. Similar to other stigmatized conditions, including HIV and tuberculosis, women with fistula navigate complex physical and social consequences and rely on informal caregivers for additional support. Understanding and supporting caregivers' needs may improve outcomes for the caregiver and their patient. Thus, this convergent mixed-methods study explored the firsthand experiences of informal caregivers of women with fistula in Kampala, Uganda.