I.
The right to identity and the development of identity
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) afďŹ rms that every child has the right to a legal identity. This right is activated and safeguarded by birth registration. Also from birth, every child begins the journey of constructing a unique personal and social identity which is characterised by a growing awareness of the importance of markers such as gender, ethnicity, age and status within the child’s immediate community. Before they begin school, many children demonstrate a clear understanding of their role and status at home, at preschool and in their neighbourhood, and of the impact of how they are treated on their sense of who they are. Early identities are themselves complex, and they continue to change and grow as children experience new settings, activities, relationships and responsibilities. In the process, children may form both positive, negative and ambivalent feelings about aspects of their changing identity.