The current birth registration process needs to be improved to give all children open access to birth registration so that they can be recognised by the Government in planning and availing vital services for them, researchers said.

The remarks were raised during a validation workshop dubbed, "Technical Analysis of Birth Registration in Rwanda: status of child registration and possible action report,” in Kigali on Monday.

The study, which was presented by the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR), sought to conduct an analysis on the factors for low levels of birth registration in the country and chart ways to address them both at the community and policy levels.

Prof. Alfred Bizoza, the director of research at IPAR, said the information from the study, if complemented with public awareness campaigns, would help to increase the birth registration rate.

"The research has been conducted in children’s interest and right to birth registration to facilitate the Government to plan with a known number of its population,” he said, suggesting that improved community awareness on birth registration should be exercised to boost children’s rights protection.

The research was conducted at a time when a new law regarding children registration came into effect in August to address different challenges and barriers to child registration.

Funded by World Vision, an international NGO, the research was conducted between March and July and the final report of the study will be officially launched in early 2017.

The validation workshop was an opportunity for respondents of the research to verify findings of the report and discuss recommendations.

Respondents involved in the research were mainly key informants from two districts at each of the country’s four provinces and the City of Kigali.

The districts were Gakenke and Gicumbi in the north, Kamonyi and Nyaruguru in the south, Gatsibo and Kirehe in the east, Karongi and Rubavu from Western Province, and Gasabo and Kicukiro from the City of Kigali.

Other respondents were from select public ministries, and agencies.

According to George Gitau, the World Vision Rwanda country director, the research will impact the process of child birth registration, especially now that the Government is also on the move to increase focus on children registration.

"Parents should register their children at the right moment just to prepare their children today for tomorrow. There is a need to convert that into policy by streamlining the way birth certificates are issued by introducing sensitisation campaigns in communities to keep the birth registration rate rising,” Gitau told The New Times.

The Government introduced a month-long children registration campaign that has been taking place countrywide at the cell level since November 23.

Alfred Karekezi, a representative from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), said the research would help various efforts by the Government and development partners to protect children’s rights from their birth date.

"Children have the right to birth registration to make sure that they are recognised by the government when it comes to planning,” he said.

Key findings from the study

Findings from the technical analysis show that children under the age of two from poor families, and those from families in rural areas are the least registered, and are, thus, unlikely to have birth registration certificates.

According to the recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2014/15), the current status of birth registration in Rwanda shows that only 56 per cent of children were notified at the sector Civil Registration and Notary Services in 2015, declining from 83 per cent in 2005 and 63 per cent in 2010.

The study revealed that the legal status of the parents matter significantly in determining a child’s registration status. The current registration system does not cater for special cases such as unwanted pregnancies, informally married couples, and juvenile births.

The findings suggest that socio-economic status of parents also plays a role in child birth registration and interventions geared at increasing child birth registration should then factor in all socio-economic dimensions which impede parents from registering their children immediately after birth.

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