Interview: “Many Challenges With Birth Registration Will Be Addressed”

You attended the First National Mayors’ Forum on Universal Birth Registration in Cameroon which held Yaounde from April 26-27, 2024. Is birth registration such an issue in your council area?
Yes, it is actually an issue. Nkambe has been relatively safe during the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West Regions. As a result, many Internally Displaced People, IDPs have moved into Nkambe, and so the population has risen. Birth registration has been an issue; reason why we have been sensitising the public, encouraging people to come forth and register the births of their children within the 90-day legal timeframe.

What do you have to say about the First National Mayors’ Forum on Universal Birth Registration in Cameroon?
The forum will solve lots of problems and challenges encountered in issuing birth certificates and other civil status documents. During the forum we received interesting lectures and were allowed to ask questions. We also had workshops during which we brought out suggestions and recommendations which will go a long way to ameliorate the situation of birth registration in Cameroon. We are grateful and thankful to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF and the government of Cameroon for organising the First National Mayors’ Conference on Universal Birth Registration.

Have you had cases of children who were unable to register and sit certificate examinations because they did not have birth certificates?
Sure, sure, just like in other council areas in Cameroon, we have had children who have missed their examinations for want of birth certificates. When it is getting to time for registration for certificate examinations, we see an influx of parents struggling to get birth certificates for their children. That is when they realize the importance of the birth certificate. From birth, many children do not have birth certificates. They enrol in school without birth certificates until they are about to register for public examinations when the birth certificate is required.
Given the low income levels of many parents in our council area, they have to struggle to get birth certificates for their children and also pay tuition fees at the same time. This is a big problem. This is why we sensitize parents to register their children’s births before examination registration time. There have been cases of pupils missing public examinations because of lack of birth certificates, though not many.
In the past two years, Nkambe Council has been partnering with the Norwegian Refugee Camp to issue birth certificates for children after the legal timeframe of 90 days. As a result, the number of children missing examinations because of lack of birth certificates has drastically reduced. 90 days after birth, you must go through a court judgement to obtain a birth certificate. The Council issues birth certificates for free, but pupils wishing to get birth certificates 90 days after birth must have court judgements; which require paying some money.
Until two years ago, about 100 or more children in Nkambe Council missed public examinations each year because of lack of birth certificates. But since we began working with the Norwegian Refugee Council, we hardly have any children missing certificate examinations for want of birth certificate.
Our strategy now entails reaching out to schools to get lists of pupils in Class Six without birth certificates. We give priority to these pupils in issuing birth certificates, and the strategy has been succeeding. Because of the decentralisation law that places basic education under councils, we work with head teachers who in turn give us the names of pupils in Class Six without birth certificates.

Why do some parents not acquire birth certificates for their children until when they are about to register for certificate examinations?        
Some parents do not realize the importance of the birth certificate until when it is almost too late. Sometimes health facilities contribute to the problem by issuing “birth certificates” instead of birth attestations. As a result, parents of such children do not bother about going to the Council or a civil status registration centre to get birth certificates for their babies. We have had to do a lot of sensitisation in this light. Most health facilities have carried out the necessary adjustments and now issue birth attestations, not birth certificates. Parents bring these birth attestations to the Council for their children’s birth certificates to be issued.

What other challenges does your Council face with universal birth registration?
Sometimes the National Printing Press and the National Office for Civic Status Registration, BUNEC do not supply birth certificate booklets on time. There is nothing we can do when this happens except to wait for the booklets to be made available. However, we were assured during the First National Mayors’ Forum on Universal Birth Registration in Cameroon that councils will henceforth be supplied regularly with birth certificate booklets.

On average, how long does it take for your Council to issue a birth certificate within the 90-day legal timeframe, and through court judgement?
Going through court judgement for those who did not get their birth certificates 90 days after birth takes some time and money because it depends on the court. But if the parent has a birth attestation for the baby, the birth certificate is out within two day...