The lack of timely registration of children by parents is increasingly becoming a national issue. Siromi Turaga, the Minister for Justice, expressed his aim to achieve complete birth registration within the next two years. Currently, the country stands at 80 percent for birth registrations, according to Mr. Turaga.
He highlighted that many parents delay registering their children during their formative years, often waiting until it becomes necessary for primary school enrollment. This concern was raised during a community meeting with residents of Dreketi on Wednesday.
Mr. Turaga attended the Fiji Day celebrations in Labasa on Thursday, emphasizing that the issue of unregistered births is particularly concerning among the iTaukei community. He noted that a significant number of births within this demographic are not recorded, which poses serious challenges.
In response, his ministry has initiated proactive measures to address this issue, focusing on community outreach to increase awareness and registration efforts.
Moreover, during a recent visit to the islands of Koro and Ovalau, Mr. Turaga’s team sought to bridge the information gap between the government and local communities. He cited an example of a kindergarten in a rural area where children were attending without birth certificates. He pointed out that the absence of registration can hamper effective planning of policies and educational resources, as unregistered children remain unaccounted for in the nation’s records.
In addition, Mr. Turaga urged the iTaukei people to ensure the timely registration of death certificates. He emphasized that such registrations need to be submitted to the Fijian Affairs Board’s Vala ni Kawa Bula (VKB) registry to ensure that the deceased are officially removed from lists, allowing eligible family members to assume necessary privileges.
He noted that this has been a persistent issue faced by the iTaukei community and called for greater diligence in maintaining accurate records.