An Overview On Birth and Death Registration of

An Overview On Birth and Death Registration of Bangladesh Focusing on BR within 45 days Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ndc Project Director (Additional Secretary) Birth & Death Registration Project. Website: br. lgd. gov. bd

BACKGROUND: We have a long history of Birth & Death Registration. Colonial British ruler enacted the Birth and Death Registration Act, 1873 in undivided Bengal of then British India. 11/25/2020 ul f s s e s c a c ; u s s r un ea y n 1 a 3 s t 1 a o f h g w s o t e e I l e d c p i a ct eo angl a p r p nly 8% d in B o re e t is g. e r 4 0 20 l l i t 2

UPDATED ACTIVITIES ON LEGISLATION 11/25/2020 3

According to the existing amended Act and Rules REGISTRARS Mayor, City Corporation Mayor Municipality Chairman Union Parishad Registrars Bangladesh Ambassador/High Commissoner Cantonment Executive Officer 11/25/2020 4

Significant Reforms in Law & Rules • To make the process sustainable, Govt. of Bangladesh has amended the act in 2013 with the objectives of establishing Office of the Registrar General including some other provisions. • The Govt. has also taken initiatives to make a consolidated Rules comprising the existing five Rules with some provisions including the estabishment of the Register General which is in a final stage.

PROCEDURAL DEVELOPMENT OF BIRTH REGISTRATION: After 45 days of birth, person has to submit either a medical certificat e from doctor or a school certificat e or any A other docume A certification is required nt as on the application form proof of people from a specified the date representative or authorized of birth. person to prove the address. • . At present, 80% of birth occurs outside hospital. Parents are responsible to report to birth registration office within 45 days of birth with a medical birth certificate from a doctor or health assistant especially EPI worker. 11/25/2020 6

PROCEDURAL DEVELOPMENT OF BIRTH REGISTRATION (Cont. ) After verification Registrar issues the Birth Certificate. Fees required After two years of birth 11/25/2020 Autistic, street children and minor workers does not require any fee. 7

COMPUTERIZATION OF BR: Government has initiated Online Birth Registration System (BRIS) since October 2010. An web-based application is developed for birth and death registration which is storing the data in the central database. 11/25/2020 A central server has been setup at Bangladesh Computer Council which is maintained by the Ministry of Science and ICT People can send birth information to the concerned Registrar from any part of the world. 8

Reporting channel Reporting period Registrar offices Reporting point Union Parishad Upazila Nirbahi Officer Municipality Deputy Commissioner Quarterly City Corporation Cantonment Board Half yearly Embassy BDRP, Local Government Division

Process of Verification of Birth Data. Verification link Generation Authentication from Central database View data of concerned person

THE YEARLY PROGRESS OF BR SHOWN BELOW: 180, 000 160, 000 140, 000 120, 000 Estimated Living Population 100, 000 Cumulative Living Population (Living + Dead) Living Registered People 80, 000 60, 000 Online Birth Registration 40, 000 20, 000 11/25/2020 01 5 14 -2 20 01 4 13 -2 20 20 12 -2 01 3 01 2 11 -2 20 01 1 10 -2 20 01 0 09 -2 20 00 9 08 -2 20 20 07 -2 00 8 00 7 06 -2 20 20 05 -2 00 6 0 11

PROGRESS OF BIRTH REGISTRATION: Up to 17 December 2015 the total number of birth registration in online form is more than 13. 98 crore. PROGRESS OF BIRTH REGISTRATIO Out of 64 districts, 45 districts N have completed 100% of birth : registration and 14 districts have completed more than 90%. Only 5 districts are below 90%. 11/25/2020 12

Situation of Birth Registration for Children • National plan to improve civil registration and vital statistics system includes accelerating registration of children within 45 days of their birth as one of priority areas and fully enforced coordination between registration and immunization/ health program is identified as the best approach. • The rate of registration of children under the age of five increased from 9. 8 percent in 2006 to 51 percent in June 2014. • Rough estimate of 54, 00, 106 children's age is between 5 -6 up to May 2015 and around them 34, 38, 123 were registered within 5 -6 years of birth - this is only 64%.

Achievement of Birth & Death Registration • Almost all the citizens of the country have completed their birth registration. Two-thirds of the country's total population data already come in online and everyday averagely 50 -60 thousand manual and digital data store in online database. Online birth and death registration program has become a role model to formulate digital Bangladesh. • Birth certificate keep a very important role in varieties area like preventing child marriage ; admission into the Academic Institutions; preparation of voter list; received national ID card etc. • Birth certificate keep a very important role to protect child rights and also to protect Society and state right for all citizens.

Registration of Birth within 45 days I want my Birth Certificate within 45 days of Birth Beware this is the 1 st official document to recognize me by the state

Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child • The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents. • States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.

Section 8(1) of Birth and Death Registration Act 2004 Father or mother or guardian of the child or any prescribed person shall be liable to submit information relating to the birth of a child to the Registrar within 45 (forty five) days of the child’s birth. Section 10 of Birth and Death Registration Act 2004 Name of the child should be given before his or her birth registration. Provided that birth of any child may be registered, if the child is not given any name and in that case, his name should be submitted within the next 45 (forty five) days of registration.

Importance of Birth Registration within 45 days • Birth registration is an official recognition of the child’s existence. It safeguards the enjoyment of their other rights. • A Birth Certificate is the primary identification document and proof of the child's age to ensure access to health facilities, right to breast feeding, enrolment in school and protection from child labor, juvenile delinquency, child trafficking, child marriage and other various forms of exploitation. • Timely registration of newborn children informs vital statistics for national planning, monitoring and budgeting.

Legislative & Administrative support for BR • The Birth and Death Registration Act 2004 mandates birth registration within 45 days of birth. Birth & Death Registration (Amendment) Act, 2013 provides a legal basis for establishment of the Office of the Registrar General, the permanent structure within the government to oversee the registration of birth and death. • A Birth Registration service point is embedded in local government administration nationwide. All Union Parishad Chairman, Municipality Mayor, City Corporation Mayor, Cantonment Executive Officer and The Ambassador/High Commissioner of Bangladesh Mission in abroad or his/her delegated officers are working as registrar. • All Registration Offices (5085) are connected to and using online Birth Registration Information System (BRIS).

Civil Registration & Vital Statistics ( CRVS) • National plan to improve civil registration and vital statistics system includes accelerating registration of children within 45 days of their birth as one of priority areas and fully enforced coordination between registration and immunization/ health program is identified as the best approach. • More than 139. 97 million birth records have been registered in online BRIS till December 2015.

Gradual development of Birth Registration • The rate of birth registration increased from 9. 8 percent ( 2006 ) to 31 percent ( 2011) and in 2015 up to December overall Birth Registrations stands at 86%. • Rough estimate of 2. 8 million children were born between January and November 2015 and only 56, 980 were registered within 45 days of birth - this is only 2. 02% of expected births. • Births registered with certificate within 45 days of birth marks the ‘effective coverage’ of birth registration.

LEGISLATION & RESPONSIBITIES: Parents/ Children Persons self NGO workers Nearest relatives Informant Village polices 11/25/2020 Health workers as well as physicians Polices 22

Statistics of Birth Registration Within 45 days of Birth Age Group Year Estimated New Born Children Birth Registration Rate 2011 2, 968, 795 8, 571 0. 29% 2012 2, 993, 793 20, 736 0. 69% 2013 3, 018, 919 43, 276 1. 43% Age (0 -45 days) 2014 3, 044, 172 62, 947 2. 07% 2015 (upto November) 2, 813, 833 56, 980 2. 02%

The best 10 Registrar Offices of 2014 Though the overall scenario is poor, the following registrar offices have secured the top 10 position in registration of birth within 45 days :

The Secret of Success which lead Bhairab Paurashava is one of the good registrar offices which entered 2071 BR data in 2015 within 45 days of birth which is 91. 97 per cent of estimated birth.

The Secret of Success ( Contd) • In Paurashava, health workers (HW) contributed a lot for birth registration. • HW prepares pregnant mothers’ list and frequently visited the women who would be mothers. • In between delivery and first date of immunization under EPI, HW completed the birth registration application and sent to the Sanitary Inspector who is working as an Authorized Person for birth registration under the Mayor. • To avoid any missing births, HW entered the BRN on EPI card at the time of first date of immunization. • In case of any missing births, HW facilitated parents to submit BR application.

Limitations/ Constraints • Until now, many people in our country do not know the importance of a Birth Certificate in their lives. • Some section of people are not interested to register the birth of their within 45 days of birth. • Parents like to wait till their child gets admitted in school. • Some Teachers provoke to change the date of birth at the time of enrolment in school.

Way Forward • EPI workers shall verify the BR certificate and write the BR# on EPI register and EPI card. • If a baby is brought to EPI point without BR certificate, EPI/ HW will help the parents to submit BR application to the Registrar Office and collect BRC before second doze of immunization. If it is not done within the period of 2 nd doze then they (, EPI/ HW) will report to the BR Authority.

The Way Forward (Contd. ) • Continue strengthening capacity of birth and death registration units • Awareness raising of parents and communities on birth registration within 45 days of birth • Effective coordination & integration should be ensured between Health (EPI and hospitals) and birth and death registration sectors in facilitating birth registration of newborn children • Use of online birth registration application process should be more popularized & friendly.

OUR DREAM. Ø Every baby possesses a birth certificate within 45 days of birth. Ø To prevent 100% Early Marriage through implementation of the concern law using Birth Registration Certificate. Ø No extra load in making electoral role and population census. 11/25/2020 30

Thanks Everyone For Patience Hearing