The issue of parents not registering their children in a timely manner has become a significant concern for the nation. Siromi Turaga, the Minister for Justice, expressed his goal of achieving complete birth registration within the next two years. Currently, the birth registration rate in the country stands at 80 percent.
Mr. Turaga highlighted that many parents postpone registering their children until they need to enroll them in primary school, which is problematic. He shared these concerns during a community discussion with residents of Dreketi on Wednesday. The minister also participated in Fiji Day celebrations in Labasa on Thursday, where he noted that the lack of birth registration is particularly troubling among the iTaukei community.
He pointed out that a high number of iTaukei births, especially among young children, remain unregistered, which is alarming. To address this issue, the ministry has initiated efforts to increase awareness and reduce the registration gap through community outreach programs.
During an earlier visit to Koro and Ovalau, Mr. Turaga’s team worked to bridge the information gap between the government and local communities. He observed that some children attending kindergarten in rural areas did not possess birth certificates. This lack of registration hampers effective policy planning and educational allocations since a child without a birth certificate is essentially unaccounted for in the country.
Additionally, Mr. Turaga emphasized the importance of timely death registration for the iTaukei community. He stressed that death certificates must be filed with the Fijian Affairs Board’s Vala ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to ensure that the deceased are officially removed from the registry. This process is necessary for the rightful heirs to assume privileges associated with the VKB.
He noted that issues related to timely registration of deaths remain ongoing challenges for the iTaukei ministry.