The births of about 17 million Nigerian children under the age of
five are births registered, according to a new report on global birth
registration released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Meanwhile, the number of children whose births are officially
registered increased significantly from 30 per cent in 2013 to 43 per
cent in 2018, as birth registration was integrated into health
services.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, noted
yesterday that the 17 million unregistered children were unaccounted for
and non-existent in the eyes of the government and the law. He said,
“Without proof of identity, children are often excluded from accessing
education, healthcare and other vital services, and are vulnerable to
exploitation and abuse.”
We have come a long way in Nigeria and ensuring that children are
registered through the health services is making a big difference – but
still too many children are slipping through the cracks. He listed
barriers to high registration coverage in Nigeria to include the
operation of two parallel and competing systems for birth registration
at federal and state levels, insufficient birth registrars, lack of
public awareness on the importance of birth registration for children,
coupled with ingrained social beliefs that do not encourage the
registration of children.
Hawkins observed that “Worldwide, 166 million children under-five, or
1 in 4, remain unregistered, according to the new report Birth
Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track? – which analyses
data from 174 countries and shows that the proportion of children
under-five registered globally is up around 20 percent from 10 years ago
– increasing from 63 percent to 75 per cent.
UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre
Poirier said that birth registration in West and Central Africa remained
stagnant for a long time, leaving millions of children without their
basic right to legal identity.
According to her, “This situation has now changed and millions more
children are registered at birth. In West and Central Africa, under-five
registration increased in 10 years from 41 percent to 51 percent,
despite the multiple challenges the region is facing”.She stated that
with UNICEF’s support and under the leadership of the African Union and
of national governments, countries have invested in integrating birth
registration in health and immunization platforms to extend the coverage
and accessibility of services and reach even the most vulnerable
populations.
“This simple shift in service delivery is not only low cost but
effective in increasing national registration rates, contributing to
progress in the region as a whole.Despite progress, the majority of
countries in sub-Saharan Africa lag behind the rest of the world and
some of the lowest levels of registration are found in Chad (12 per
cent) and Guinea-Bissau (24 per cent)”, she added.
In Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030, UNICEF calls for five
actions to protect all children:Provide every child with a certificate
upon birth.Empower all parents, including single parents, regardless of
gender, to register their children at birth and for free during the
first year of life.
Link birth registration to basic services, particularly health,
social protection and education, as an entry point for registration.
Invest in safe and innovative technological solutions to allow every
child to be registered, including in hard-to-reach areas.Engage
communities to demand birth registration for every child.
“Every child has a right to a name, a nationality and a legal
identity,” said Peter Hawkins. “We have just marked the 30th anniversary
of these rights – as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child – and 2020 will mark the 30th anniversary of the African Charter
on the Rights and Welfare of the Child – which provides that every child
be registered immediately after birth. We must continue to register and
not stop until every Nigerian child is registered – every child
counts!”
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