17,688 births registered in 2002
Stabroek News
May 6, 2003
At least 5,000 more births were registered last year as compared to the year before following a campaign by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), in collaboration with the Office of the Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
A total of 17,688 births were registered last year as compared to 12,580 births in 2001.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report, there had been problems with the registration of child births which was integral in keeping an accurate count of the number of persons in the country. And according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child is entitled to a name and nationality, which could only be possible when a child is registered at birth.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Mitradevi Alli, said the registration of births also helped to monitor possible child labour situations. She explained that there were instances where some children were employed but because there were no birth certificates there were no indications that the child might be under age.
Some Amerindian communities were involved in this practice but were not the sole offenders according to the NCRC which found that there were a number of children who were of school age but without birth certificates.
This was one of the reasons which prompted the NCRC to launch its campaign during which information was conveyed on the late registration process and the process of obtaining a birth certificate.
According to GINA, the Ministries of Health and Education were also involved in the campaign, which included a number of day care centres, hospitals and other associations.
The NCRC was established in March 1993 and operates out of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
