Birth Registration : The Ball Now In Mayors' Court

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Cameroon Country Office on Tuesday September 17, 2024 in Yaounde held a briefing for the media with focus on birth registration. This is sequel to the “My Name” campaign launched in April 2024 with mayors of the 374 councils in the country. It lasts from April 27-November 20, 2024. As at September 17, 2024, 64 per cent of the councils in the country (219) had joined “My Name” campaign, giving a total rate of 64 per cent.
All councils in the Far North, North, Adamawa and South West Regions have joined the campaign, giving 100 per cent rate. While in the Centre Region with 71 councils, only 13 have so far joined, officials disclosed. Similarly, there are similar challenges with councils in the Littoral Region. 

An MDG Priority 
In target 16.9, Goal 16 of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs calls for all people to be guaranteed a legal identity by 2030, in particular through birth registration. The declaration and registration of births, and official entry in civil registers, constitute the first official recognition of a child's existence. A birth certificate is an official document that can facilitate a child's access to essential services. It enables the child to enrol in school, take an official competition or examination, benefit from the parents' social advantages such as health insurance, or claim inheritance rights. It is therefore a step designed to protect the child.

Campaign Objectives
“My Name” campaign seeks to strengthen birth registration processes by making it more strategic and bringing services closer to the people. The campaign also aims to cause more people to get birth certificates issued for their children. With the great interest shown by the three northern regions in “My Name” campaign, UNICEF officials said the situation on the ground was already changing. Unlike in the past when the Far North, North and Adamawa Regions were amongst the least in birth registration in the country.   

IDPs Included
Clarification was also given that it is possible for those displaced by the conflict in the North West and South West Regions to be issued birth certificates and other documents to replace those lost in the crisis. The mobilisation of both women and men in the campaign was emphasised. Especially if a couple is not formally married, the biological father’s consent is required before a birth certificate is issued for the child. “My Name’ campaign ends in November 20, 2024 with the award of prizes to the 10 councils that will put in place the best systems to facilitate birth registration.  

Identity Day 
Meanwhile, Identity Day was marked in Cameroon on September 16, 2024 on the theme, “An inclusive identity contributing to the development of the individual and the State.” It was explained that it is against the law for civil status registrars to succeed each other in the family as they have to be appointed by the authorities. On the question of a token of 100 FCFA offered to civil status registrars per birth certificate issued, a representative of the National Civil Status Office, BUNEC, said something was being done about it. That a draft bill on the comprehensive review of civil status in Cameroon will soon be presented in Parliament for consideration, he promised.  

Campaign Goal   
“The campaign seeks to stimulate mayors to ensure that birth registration in their council areas is more functional such that newborns are issued birth certificates soon after birth. We began well, with some regions seeing all their councils joining the campaign. However, some regions are still lagging behind. We already have councils where birth registration is going on very well with newborns systematically issued birth certificates. This is easier than when the timeline for birth registration elapses and parents have to go to court to get birth certificates issued,” explained Juliette Hoenni, Deputy Country Representative, UNICEF Cameroon.

Why Reticence?
“The reasons for the low level of councils in some regions joining the campaign include difficult access to the Internet, challenges with accessing and using the website, and the lack of commitment by some mayors. The National Civil Status Registration Office, BUNEC and UNICEF are there to assist councils with challenges,” assured Casimira Benge, Chief Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Cameroon. 

BUNEC Coordinates 
“The National Civil Registration Office is coordinating “My Name” campaign from the central and regional offices. According to the 2018 Demographic Health Survey, the rate of birth registration in Cameroon was estimated at 62 per cent in 2018, though BUNEC’s statistics talked of 69 per cent,” said Mrs Eliane Akoa Efa, one of the representatives of BUNEC at the media briefing. 

Stepping Up Communication
According to her, parents do not get birth certificates for their children for a number of reasons – they do not understand the importance of birth registration, and cultural practices, which BUNEC is fighting hard to overcome. BUNEC is also stepping up sensitisation and communication with community groups, health facilities and pregnant women in order to improve birth registration, Eliane Akoa disclosed.      

Mayors’ Forum
The First Forum of Mayors of Cameroon from April 26-27, 2024 in Yaounde saw the launch of a campaign for the country’s 374 mayors to accelerate birth registration ...