A/67/278 public services as they lack legal identity. With more than 50 million births going unregistered every year, 13 the lack of formal registration is a considerable barrier to legal recognition before the law, which has a disproportionate impact on the poorest and most marginalized. Without recognition, individuals are unable to access social services or to access courts to seek remedies for violations of their human rights. 34. Persons living in poverty face greater and disproportionate barriers and disincentives in accessing registration services, which are often geographically distant for them, time-consuming and unaffordable. The travel costs to access registration services are added to relatively high fees charged for the issuance of identity documents and to the working time lost. These costs are more burdensome for the poor. C. Institutional and structural obstacles in the justice chain 35. Persons living in poverty face obstacles in each of the steps that they must take to seek redress through the formal justice system. Location and physical accessibility 36. As the majority of the world’s poor live outside of urban centres, with many of the most marginalized living in remote, hard-to-reach areas, the lack of nearby police centres and the centralization of national justice systems constitute serious obstacles to their accessing justice. 37. While police deployment can be problematic when communities living in poverty are disproportionately targeted, the absence of police and other institutions necessary for the administration of justice in rural, poor and marginalized areas is a common problem. Courthouses, particularly appeal courts, are often located only in capital cities or large towns. Police officers, prosecutors and lawyers are also concentrated in urban areas, along with registries for land titling and for births, deaths and marriages. In such circumstances, persons living in poverty often have to travel long distances at great cost to engage with the justice system, exposing themselves to unfamiliar environments and unsafe conditions. 38. Such factors often act as a persuasive deterrent against seeking redress from judicial or adjudicatory mechanisms, or may indeed represent an insurmountable obstacle for the poorest and most marginalized. This is especially so for those who have limited mobility, such as older persons or persons with disabilities, or those for whom travel is more difficult or dangerous, including women and children. 39. The geographical remoteness of justice mechanisms for persons living in poverty can also exacerbate their situation and lead to violation of other human rights. Those without easy and immediate access to law enforcement officials are unable to seek immediate redress or protection from violence, abuse and exploitation, and will have greater difficulty in contesting land issues and forced evictions. The police may be less likely to pursue complaints if they have to travel long distances to do so, particularly where resources are scarce. __________________ 13 10 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), information available at www.unicef.org/ factoftheweek/index_53718.html. 12-45806