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June
21, 2000
Dhaka,
June 20 (UNB) – After birth registration campaign launched in
Laxmipur district, 780 health workers have been visiting
house-to-house to find and register all children under five.
Laxmipur
is the second district in Bangladesh, after Jhenidah to take the
initiative to improve the state of birth registration, an essential
right and legal identity of Bangladeshi citizenship, said a UNICEF
press release today (Tuesday).
The
campaign launched by AKM Mahbubul Alam, Deputy Commissioner, Laxmipur
is expected to last for 14 days aiming at registering 350,000 children
in the ledgers of the Union Parishads or Pourashava offices.
Senior
district officials, representatives from UNICEF Australia and UNICEF
Bangladesh attended the inaugural session of the campaign, as well as
a large number of local school youth, who livened up the session with
a cultural programme.
Birth
registration has become a government priority as part of the
commitment to meet the obligations of the UN convention on the Rights
of the Child. The committee on the Rights of the Child had observed in
1997 that birth registration in Bangladesh was in a very poor state
and urged prompt action.
Birth
registration is also seen as a key strategy to improve delivery of
health services, especially to the 10-15 percent of children still out
of reach of health and education services providers.
It
will also allow enforcement of laws designed to protect children
against hazards such as child labour, early marriage and ill treatment
by the justice system.
The
Laxmipur district undertook extensive planning to sustain the birth
registration efforts even after the campaign ends.
A
key will be the close involvement of health workers, who routinely
visit households. The district established an intersectoral “central
resource team” which managed campaign preparations, and will conduct
regular field visits to all upazilas.
Orientation
meetings were held in all Union Parishads and field health workers
were meticulously prepared. To increase visibility, the district
distributed stickers with the national birth registration logo, which
will be placed on each house after registration has taken place.
The
government has expressed commitment to birth registration and is in
the process of preparing detailed plans for partnership with UNICEF
and another development partners in this area.
Once
implement, this plan will ensure strengthening of capacities at Union
Parishad, Pourashava and City Corporation levels, and the maintaining
of reliable information on births.
Meanwhile,
it is expected that three other districts will take up comprehensive
birth registration campaigns in the course of the current year.
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