The lack of timely registration of children’s births is becoming a national issue of concern. Justice Minister Siromi Turaga expressed his goal of achieving 100 percent birth registration within the next two years. Currently, the registration rate stands at 80 percent across the country.
Mr. Turaga pointed out that many parents delay registering their children during their early years, often waiting until it becomes necessary for primary school enrollment. He addressed this concern during a talanoa session with residents of Dreketi on Wednesday and attended the Fiji Day celebrations in Labasa on Thursday. He specifically noted that the issue of unregistered births is prevalent within the iTaukei community.
“The high percentage of unregistered births among young iTaukei is a serious matter,” he stated. This situation has prompted the ministry to take proactive measures by conducting community outreach programs.
During a visit to Koro and Ovalau earlier this year, the minister and his team worked to bridge the information gap between the government and these communities. He noted that there are kindergarten-aged children in rural areas attending classes without birth certificates. Mr. Turaga emphasized that the lack of birth registration impedes proper policy planning and the allocation of educational resources, stating, “If a six-year-old is not registered, it means they are effectively unaccounted for in this country.”
In addition to birth registration, Mr. Turaga urged the iTaukei community to ensure timely registration of deaths. He emphasized that death certificates must be recorded with the Fijian Affairs Board’s Vala ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to update the records appropriately. This process is essential for transferring entitlements to eligible individuals within the community, such as in the case of a yavusa registration where a new head cannot be appointed until the deceased’s name is removed from the records.
“This remains an ongoing challenge faced by the iTaukei ministry in our country,” he concluded.