RGD 'Name the Child' project a success
published:
Monday | July 28, 2008
POSITIVE Parenting
In a bid to get thousands of nameless children registered in Jamaica, the Registrar General's Department (RGD) implemented the 'Name the Child' project in September 2006. It lasted for one month and the RGD claimed success as it saw the naming of more than 12,000 of the 18,000 children who were targeted.
For the remaining children who were not named while the project was under way, their parents are encouraged to utilise the normal late registration process. But Dr Patricia Holness, chief executive officer at the RGD, is reminding parents that they have the responsibility of naming their children and should act accordingly.
Bedside registration
However, to further drive the process, she said the RGD has also introduced bedside registration - the registration of births while the mother is still at the hospital. This, she said, has further reduced the occurrence of nameless children.
"Bedside registration was introduced on January 1, 2007. Up to April 15, 2008, the figures from the RGD revealed that 93.8 per cent of children were registered with a name at birth," Holness revealed. She continued that "2.5 per cent were named within the year outside of the hospital while 3.5 per cent were not named within the year".
She also noted that "All children born in hospital in Hanover in 2007 were named at birth".
The RGD reported as well that 99 per cent of births occurring in hospitals, between January and March this year, were named while 93 per cent of such births were registered with a name.
The importance of registration
Registration of babies at birth is mandated by Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by 162 countries in 1989. The convention stipulates that "each child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name (and) the right to acquire a nationality".
Registration is important for both the child and the State as it secures certain benefits for the child while for the State, it is a form of record keeping.
For individuals, birth registration confers rights and privileges, such as the right to a name, a nationality and personal identity. Unregistered children usually do not have access to certain basic social services such as the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education and the National Health Fund.
For governments, birth registration is essential for effective disease surveillance and public education campaigns.
It assists governments in planning for social services such as education and health and is a basis for effective administration and good governance.
Governments require information on vital statistics such as birth, death, marriage and fertility rates for accurate planning, implementation and for monitoring the impact of development programmes. This can only be achieved through the registration of all births.
Information provided by Dr Patricia Holness, CEO, Registrar General's Department.
