Proof of Vital Events by Possession of Status and Its Impact on Civil Registration in Ethiopia

Abstract

As of 2012 civil registration has become mandatory across Ethiopia. Furthermore the 2017 bill which slightly brought some changes to the 2012 bill has mandated the establishment civil registration office at the lowest administrative level (kebele). The bill also authorized the registration of all vital events that occurred before the adoption of the new law. Despite this development, the family laws of the country and the judicial system still practice by a rule which authorizes proof of vital events by possession of status as an alternative to a document issued by a civil authority. The Ethiopian federal family law and different regional family codes have included a provision that recognizes proof of vital events by possession of status. Giving such a legal option however makes the civil registration law less effective as people rely on the latter rather than getting a document. This short article is shading light on how proof of vital events by possession of status negatively affects civil registration turnout in Ethiopia. This article therefore argues that this rule in the family law needs to be repealed as it affects the civil registration system.

Keywords

• Civil registration
• vital events
• possession of status

References

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