Impediments to Civil Registration: The case of Somali Regional State in Ethiopia

Abstract

Civil registration is the best source of demographic data, compared to population census and sample surveys, as the last two are not continuous. It is defined as the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population, as provided through decree or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements of each country. Civil registration systems are basic components of good governance, essential for the production of vital statistics, and many other health and population indicators. However, civil registration systems and data are at their infant stages, if non-existent. in many developing countries. Sub-saharan African nations have the largest number of unregistered vital events. Using interviews, office reports and related documents, the study found that little progress has been made on civil registration in the Somali region due to a number of challenges that affect the system. Financial, human resource and logistical challenges, lack of political priority, lack of value for registration, low awareness, the registration process and the mobile nature of pastoralists are among the key challenges that hinder the progress. The study proposes legal reforms, political commitment and strengthening coordination (interoperability) between and among the key stakeholders to improve the functionality of the system.

Keywords

• Civil registration,Vital events registration,Somali region,Impediments/challenges,Functional civil registration system Abdirahman

References

1. Central Statistical Agency (CSA) [Ethiopia] and ICF. 2016.
2. Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS), 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Rockville, Maryland, USA: CSA and ICF. Civil registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2016, Advocacy material. https://www.getinthepicture.org/resource/civilregistration-and-vital-statistics-crvs-and-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs
3. FDRE (2013). Towards sustainable vital events registration and vital statistics systems of Ethiopia: Strategy and Action Plan July 2013 – June 2018.
4. Federal Vital Events Registration Agency (FVERA) (2018), Mid-Year Vital Events Registration Report, Addis Ababa.
5. Forrest E. Linder, (1982). Improving vital registration systems in developing countries. Technical paper No 20, International Institute for Vital Registration and Statistics. Handbook on Training in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System; Studies in Methods, Series F, No. 84; United Nations, New York, 2002 (Module 2) http://unstats. un.org/unsd/ publication/SeriesF/SeriesF_84E.pdf IDRC Canada, Current state of CRVS: an overview, Produced for the international conference on CRVS innovations, Ottawa, Canada, February 27–28, 2018.
6. May, T. (2002).Qualitative research in action. New Delhi: SAGE Publications.
7. Plan Ethiopia and the African Child Policy Forum (2005). Perception and Practices: A review of birth registration in Addis Ababa and the regional states of Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, Ethiopia.
8. Plan International. “Birth Registration: Resources.” https:// plan-international.org/whatwe-do/child-participation/birth-registration/resources. Accessed May 12, 201.

9. Proclamation no.1049/2017, Vital Events Registration and National Identity Card proclamation (amendment) proclamation. Regional Vital Events Registration Agency (RVERA) (2018), nine months report (July 2017 – April 2018), Jigjiga, Ethiopia.
10. Setel, P. W., Macfarlane, S. B., Szreter, S., Mikkelsen, L., Jha, P., Stout, S., AbouZahr, C. (2007) A scandal of invisibility. Making everyone count by counting everyone. Lancet, 370, 1569–1577.
11. Thabane, L., Chinganya, O., & Ye, C. C. (2008). Training young statisticians for the development of statistics in Africa. African Statistical Journal, 7, 125–148.
12. Toma J. M. (1981), Methods and Problems of Civil Registration Practices and Vital Statistics Collection In Africa, Technical paper No 16, International Institute for Vital Registration and Statistics.
13. United Nations (UN). (2001). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System Revision 2, United Nations, New York, 50.
14. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). (2014). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System. Revision 3. New York: United Nations, 65.
15. UNICEF (2017). Specific domains of respectful newborn care: the role of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems, PTB TWG-ICS- Session 3, New York. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), A Snapshot of Civil Registration in SubSaharan Africa, UNICEF, New York, 2017.
16. UNICEF (2013). Every child’s birth right: Inequities and trends in birth registration. New York: UNICEF.
17. UNICEF (2013). A passport to protection: a guide to birth registration programming. UNICEF, New York, p. 11
18. WHO (2012). Civil Registration and Vital Statistics. WHO-FIC information sheet.
19. WHO (2013). Civil Registration and Vital Statistics: Challenge, best practices and design practices for modern systems, Geneva.
20. WHO (2013). Strengthening CRVS Systems through Innovative Approaches in the Health sector. WHO Geneva.
21. WHO (2014). Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Investment Planning: Report of a Technical Consultation. Addis Ababa, 28-29 April 2014.
22. WHO 2017 World Health Statistics. WHO Geneva.
23. World Bank and World Health Organization (WB-WHO) 2014. Global CRVS Scaling Up Investment Plan 2015–2024.
24. http://www. world bank.org/ en/topic/health/publication/ global-civil-registration-vital-statistics-scaling-up-investment.
25. World Bank Data Bank. World Development Indicators. Available from: http:// http:// databank .worldbank .org /data/reports.