A comprehensive analysis has revealed that many families in Fiji face significant delays in birth registration, with the longest average waits exceeding 600 days. This finding stems from a review of 158,153 birth registration records, highlighting substantial discrepancies in the timeliness of registrations across various registry offices in the country.
The data indicates that birth registration delays are most pronounced among iTaukei children, single mothers, and younger mothers, underscoring the intersecting challenges of gender, social status, and geographic location that hinder access to timely registration services. This calls for targeted strategies to mitigate these barriers and improve registration outcomes.
The project has also uncovered a significant issue with the delay and loss of Notification of Birth forms issued by health facilities, which contributes to the overarching problem of late registrations. Parents often face additional costs and administrative burdens as they may need to return to health facilities multiple times to obtain replacements, resulting in further delays and discouragement.
Furthermore, the limited connectivity and high travel expenses for families in remote and outer island communities complicate their access to registration services. Registry teams also struggle to conduct regular outreach visits, exacerbating the issue. In some instances, families opt to use unofficial documents, such as baptism cards, for school admissions instead of birth certificates, particularly noted in areas like Lakeba.
Access to universal and timely birth registration is not only a fundamental human right but also a critical component of effective governance, ensuring citizens have a legal identity and the ability to access essential services like education and healthcare. Despite advancements in civil registration practices in Fiji, this analysis sheds light on persistent gender and geographic inequities, notably in rural, maritime, and socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
The project, executed by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with multiple government ministries, including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health, received backing from Vital Strategies through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative Global Grants Programme. Its ongoing mission focuses on identifying and addressing these inequities to improve the situation for all Fijian families.
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