[ad_1]
The lack of accurate and reliable demographic data hampers policy formulation, development planning and political effort. It is essential for any nation in the world to have clear information about its population without which a sustainable and holistic development cannot be achieved. Therefore, the population census, sample survey, and vital records (or civil registration) are the three main sources of demographic data. Civil registration is the best source of demographic data, compared to population censuses and sample surveys, as the last two are not continuous[1].
Civil registration (particularly birth registration) is the gateway to many other rights and offers administrative, legal and protective rights. It is recognized in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC. Article 7 (1) and in the Constitution of the FDRE by virtue of its article 36 (1)
More than a third (67/230) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators need data generated from functional Civil Registry and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems and therefore the SDGs will be able to deliver on their promises if we know which children are, they thrive and are left behind thanks to functional birth registration systems. Despite their multifaceted importance and the focus on the SDGs, birth registration and overall CRVS systems and data are in their early stages of completeness, if none exist, in many developing countries.[2]. More than 110 low- and middle-income countries lack functional civil registration systems
Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan countries with the lowest number of births and other life events recorded. Less than 10% of their children under 5 years of age with their births are registered. According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS), the Somali regional state of Ethiopia has the lowest level of birth registrations with only 1% of its children under the age of 5 having their births registered.[3].
A good question at this point would be what are the obstacles to the functioning of the civil registration system in the regional state of Somali? And of course, how can the Somali region count every birth? In what follows, I will briefly discuss impediments to the system and best ways forward.
Main obstacles to the functioning of the civil registration system in the Somali region
Financial and logistical obstacles lie at the heart of the region’s poor civil registration system. It contributes to poor office standards, especially at the Kebele level, and the inability of the vital event registration request agency (VERA) to hire sufficient staff, provide offices with the minimum necessary office supplies, and distribute their work more beyond certain areas. Relevant and as a result of this, the agency faces serious challenges in terms of logistics and human resources, and this is evident in all registration centers (Kebeles). Lack of quality data due to incompetent staff and lack of regular monitoring and reporting from registration sites is both the result and the associated challenge.[4].
Low or lack of political will or government commitment and understanding among key stakeholders has resulted in inadequate coordination and poor interoperability, if any, among key stakeholders in civil registration works. Despite the health and statistical uses of birth registration, as well as the mandate given to health partners by virtue of proclamation number 760/12, there is a clear lack of integration between the civil registry, health, educational authorities, statistics and other key stakeholders in Somalia. Region.
The mobile nature of pastoralists and a lack of understanding of the value of civil registration is another obstacle. Most of the people in the Somali region are herders who move from place to place in search of pasture and water for their animals. But the proclamation restricts the movement of documents outside the offices. This, along with the little awareness of pastors about the importance of civil registration, keeps the number of registered births and other events in the region at the lowest in the country.[5].
How can the Somali region improve the civil registration system and get everyone counted?
The following are plausible and feasible interventions. Legal reform is the key. The passive registration that the country is pursuing is not a solution for a mobile population such as Somali herders, nor the system of involuntary use of social networks (community groups, traditional midwives, etc.) to notify births, where herders have to walk kilometers to reach. your recorded life events. For Somali pastoralists, active registration or a similar system and the assignment of a dedicated civil registrar will produce better results and improve the number of recorded life events among Somali pastoralists. Also, no official and unofficial fees will be charged in the civil registration and certification process as it discourages pastors from registering their events. Pastors, as well as communities settled in the region, will be able to register their events (births in particular) in case both parents are not available to remove a possible barrier to registration.[6].
Improving coordination and interoperability is another way to improve civil registration systems. In the Somali region, there are visible gaps in interoperability and coordination among key stakeholders. An effective civil registration system requires the attention, and is the responsibility, of various governmental bodies: health, education, municipal administrations and judicial bodies at the federal and regional levels, as well as other UN / NGO partners, including, and mainly, UNICEF. , UNHCR (For the registration of refugees) and others.
The value of the civil registry will be carefully considered. Vital event certificates should be mandatory prerequisites for various social services to create demand for vital records. For example, the birth certificate will be necessary to access certain services, for example, when children are admitted to school for the first time, to attest their dates of birth and to acquire travel documents to prove nationality, etc. The same can happen if vaccines and birth records are linked[7].
Last but not least, a functional civil registration system needs a functional government system down to the Kebele level. Despite the weak and porous government structures in most of Kebeles in the Somali region, the vital events registration agency faces a serious shortage of staff at the Woreda and city administration levels. Therefore, staff will be hired according to the agency structure. These personnel must receive training and all the necessary prerequisites to enable them to handle their responsibilities. Sufficient budget should also be allocated for civil registration in the region[8]. HOW
Editor’s Note: Abdirahman Ahmed is a professor at Jigjiga University, Somali region. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
Final notes:
[1] Ethiopia Plan and the African Forum on Child Policy (2005). Perception and practices: a review of birth registration in Addis Ababa and the regional states of Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, Ethiopia.
[Ethiopia] and ICF. 2016. Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS), 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Rockville, Maryland, USA: CSA and ICF. [4] Ahmed, A. (2019). Impediments to civil registration: the case of the Somali regional state in Ethiopia. Journal of Social Policy Conferences, 77, https://doi.org/10.26650/jspc.2019.77.0020 [5] Ahmed, A. (2019). Impediments to civil registration: the case of the Somali regional state in Ethiopia. Journal of Social Policy Conferences, 77, https://doi.org/10.26650/jspc.2019.77.0020 [6] Ibid [7] Ibid [8] Ibid
[ad_2]
