The lack of timely registration of births among children has become a significant national issue. Siromi Turaga, the Minister for Justice, expressed his aim to achieve complete birth registration within the next two years, stating that the current registration rate stands at 80 percent across the country.
During a discussion with villagers in Dreketi, Mr. Turaga noted that parents often neglect to register their children in their early years, opting to do so only when necessary for primary school enrollment. He highlighted the prevalence of unregistered births, particularly among the iTaukei community, as a serious concern.
To address this issue, the ministry is taking proactive measures, including community outreach initiatives aimed at increasing registration rates. Earlier this year, during visits to Koro and Ovalau, his team worked on addressing the communication gaps between the government and local communities. Mr. Turaga pointed out that some children attending kindergartens in rural areas do not possess birth certificates, which hampers proper policy planning and educational allocations. He stressed that unregistered children essentially go unaccounted for in the country.
In addition to birth registrations, Mr. Turaga urged the iTaukei community to ensure that deaths are registered promptly. He emphasized the importance of registering death certificates with the Fijian Affairs Board’s Vala ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to facilitate the transition of privileges to the next eligible individual. This administrative step is crucial for the proper functioning of community leadership positions, as one cannot register a new head of a yavusa until the previous head’s name has been removed from the records. Mr. Turaga acknowledged that this is an ongoing challenge for the iTaukei ministry.