By Taurai Mazwi
Civil registration and vital statistics are essential for modern administrative system and good governance, revealed a cabinet minister.
Addressing delegates at the Commemoration of African civil registration and vital statistics day in Bulawayo yesterday, minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Ambassador Cain Mathema highlighted the importance of civil registration clarifying that there was nothing political about it.
“It is worth noting that civil registration is not in any way political or based on gender, race, tribalism and religion. It does not engage in any form of discrimination or segregation against mankind,” he said.
He went on to say, “Civil registration and vital statistics is essential for modern administrative system and good governance, protecting human rights and creating inclusive society. It is important for effective implementation of universal and inclusive development and monitoring of progress towards national and international development targets such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063."
Ambassador Mathema went on to say that children had to be registered before the age of six years and getting a birth certificate at that age range is for free. He said a birth certificate is an important legal document needed to get the basic human rights to name, identity and nationality as enshrined in the Bill of Human Rights.
He further stated that with a birth certificate, it helped prevent violations of rights of a child like child marriages, trafficking and child labour among others, thereby reducing children’s vulnerability to poverty and risk of exploitation.
Ambassador Mathema said that the Government was assisting the Cyclone Idai victims replace their lost identity documents through a mobile registration exercise in Chimanimani. He said the programme would soon be rolled out in Chipinge.
Ambassador Mathema went on to encourage people to register saying everyone is important.
“There should be no more invisibility in populations. Every person matters and has an obligation to contribute to the development of Zimbabwe as we work towards attainment of the National Vision which is to make Zimbabwe an upper middle class economy by 2030.
“Let us spread the word to those who are not registered. Let us move from the unknown to the known, from invisibility to visibility, from being unregistered to recognition,” he said.
Yesterday Zimbabwe commemorated the African Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day under the theme ‘Birth certificate for all: Fundamental for protection human rights and promoting inclusion,’ reaffirming its commitment to establish effective registration systems.
