1. BIRTH REGISTRATION 21 May 2018
CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS (CRVS) DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING (DARW) COURSE May 2018, Nadi, Fiji
BIRTH REGISTRATION
21 May 2018

2. Why is UNICEF supporting birth registration ?
Mandate to implement the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC), ratified by all countries in the world except one
Right to survival (health), development (education), protection (from neglect, abuse, exploitation), participation.
Birth registration: right to name, identity, nationality, participation/vote, access to services (right to health, education, social protection, etc.)

3. Child Protection and Birth Registration
Age determination provides access to protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation and to special protective measures for which state has a mandate
Child labour: minimum age for employment and conditions for employment according to age – in some Pacific countries 21% of children are doing detrimental work
Child marriage: minimum age; some PIC 25% girls married below 18
Minimum age of criminal responsibility
Minimum age of sexual consent
Special measures are applicable to children victims, witnesses or perpetrators of crime, and children without parental care - at police stations, in courts and by social services mandated by state legislation for child protection

4. UNICEF support to birth registration
Legal and policy development
Legal reform
National plan
National coordination mechanism
Capacity building
Training of personnel
Supervision and monitoring
Service delivery
Equipment
Mobile registration
Communication
Awareness raising on importance of birth registration
Information on services: location, requirements
UNICEF has been supporting birth registration in the Pacific since 2008, in particular in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, in these areas of intervention.

5. Data issues related to birth registration
Different figures
Birth notification
Birth registration
Birth certificate
Lack of data
Few of the 14 PIC have conducted DHS and most long ago: 7 in 2007, including Nauru or 2009; 1 in 2012 (Tonga); 2 countries for 2nd time in 2014/2015
Discrepancies between figures from administrative data and DHS or other national HH surveys
Among the countries participating in course (Cook, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Tonga), 2 have conducted DHS, Nauru in 2007 and Tonga in 2012.

6. Discrepancies in birth registration coverage figures
Birth registration of children under five years of age
Country
Year
Value
Source
CRO Oct. 2017
CRO 2016
Cook
2013
70%
MDG
Fiji
88%
Kiribati
2009
94%
DHS
78%
Nauru
2007
83%
RMI
96%
2017
83.8%
ICHNS
Samoa
47.7%
2014
58.6%
Solomon*
79.1%
2015
44%
Tonga
2012
93.5%
2016
97%
Census
Tuvalu
50%
88.3%
Vanuatu
45%
75.5%
62%
*Birth notification rate is higher – there is a backlog for entry of notifications into the system.
DHS: Demographic and Health Survey
ICHNS: Integrated Child Health and Nutrition Survey
MDG: Millennium Development Goals Profile

7. Discrepancies in birth registration coverage figures
Birth registration of children under one year of age
Country
Year
Value
Source
Solomon*
2017
37%
CRO
Tonga
2016
96%
Census
Tuvalu
83.6%
Vanuatu
69%
2014
92.5%
*Birth notification rate is higher – there is a backlog for entry of notifications into the system.
CRO: Civil Registration Office
Planned MICS/DHS (Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey/Demographic and Health Survey)
2018: Fiji and Kiribati
2019: Nauru, Somoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
Follow up to UNICEF-UNFPA-supported MICS Workshop in March 2018 in Nadi attended by Ministry of Health and National Institute of Statistics from 10 PICT’s.
ration system

8. Access to birth registration services
Country
New Born Registration
Late registration
Time limit
Cost of Birth Registration
Within time limit
Cost of Birth Certificate
Cook Islands
Law 1 month
Practice 14 days.
Free within
14 days
NZD 25
NZD 20 Penalty per each month delayed from DOB
Fiji
1 year
Free
FJD 2
FJD 9 F S M
Pohnpei
No time limit 
USD 2
Kosrae
No time limit
USD 3
Yap
Chuuk
Kiribati
12 months
AUD 9
Included in AUD 9
Nauru
AUD 10
Niue
Palau
10 days
USD 25
RMI
Samoa
3 months
WST 15
WST 20
Solomon Islands
6 weeks
Free for children born in health facilities
SBD 10
Included in SBD 10
Tokelau
Tonga
Law 3 weeks
Practice 3 months
TOP 10
TOP 16 to lodge + lawyers’ fees documents preparation
Included in TOP 16
Tuvalu
Law 10 days
Practice 6 months
Free within 3 months
Birth Notification 5
Court assessment 10
Declaration 10
Late registration 4
Total of AUD 29
Vanuatu
21 days
VUV 1500
Conditions vary from one country to another. Limited time frames and costs may be an obstacle to birth registration.
According to UNICEF SMQ for SP:
Birth registration service must be within the civil registry, free, continuous/permanent and available, universal in coverage, timely and accurate.
Free refers to no charge being levied for registration, late registration and issuance of first certificate. It does not mean free of all costs incurred during the registration process (e.g. transport).
Other requirements:
Civil registration records are kept forever; Civil registration records are retrievable [i.e. not just from the place of original registration]; Birth registration is required by law for all births; All births of all children regardless of parental status [refugee, stateless, single parent and so forth] are registered; The principles of non-discrimination are maintained throughout the birth registration process: Birth registration and receipt of the certificate is free.

9. Obstacles to universal systematic newborn birth registration
Inadequate legislation
e.g. not free beyond time limit, time limit may be too short
Logistics constraints
Distance to service, remoteness
Lack of knowledge
No knowledge of service and requirements
Lack of awareness
No awareness of importance of birth registration
Inadequate services
Lack of personnel or training of personnel
Lack of equipment
Lack of forms, registrars

10. Way forward What are the objectives with regard to children?
Newborn and under five coverage fairly high in the region, should improve even more in coming years: 1st objective is sustainable systematic newborn registration
SDG Indicator is for under five only, but this region should also aim at higher coverage rates for all under 18 – important for child protection: collaboration with schools, and other entities for out-of-school teenagers; catch up campaigns with fee waiver for a limited period of time; etc.

11. Expected outcome of the DARW course
Why do we need data ?
Planning and monitoring
Advocacy for legal reform if needed and resource allocation
What is expected ?
Annual data on birth registration coverage for:
Under one/newborn during the year
Under five
Under 18
If possible disaggregated by sex.