The delay in parents registering their children is raising significant national concerns. Siromi Turaga, the Minister for Justice, aims for a complete birth registration rate within the next two years. Currently, the registration figure stands at 80 percent across the nation.
Turaga highlighted that many parents postpone registering their children during their early years, waiting until it’s required for primary school enrollment. He expressed these concerns during a talanoa session with villagers in Dreketi and at the Fiji Day celebrations in Labasa.
The issue of unregistered births is particularly prevalent among the iTaukei community, which Turaga described as alarming. He noted the high percentage of unregistered births among young iTaukei children, prompting the ministry to take proactive measures, including community outreach initiatives.
Earlier this year, Turaga’s team addressed communication gaps between the Government and local communities during visits to Koro and Ovalau. He pointed out that some children attending a rural kindergarten lacked birth certificates, which hinders proper planning for policies and educational resources. He stressed that if a six-year-old is unregistered, it indicates that the child is not accounted for in the nation.
In addition to birth registration, Turaga urged the iTaukei community to ensure timely registration of deaths. He emphasized the importance of registering death certificates with the Fijian Affairs Board’s Vala ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to facilitate the transfer of privileges to the next eligible person. He noted that unresolved registrations can complicate matters, such as appointing a new head of a yavusa, as the deceased must be removed from the records first.