CRC Concluding Observations: Tanzania, 2015
Published: 3/Mar/2015
Source: UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
CRC/C/TZA/CO/3-5
Concluding observations on the combined third to fifth periodic reports of the United Republic of Tanzania
Birth registration
The Committee notes with appreciation the measures taken by the State party to increase birth registration, including the Under-Five National Birth Registration Strategy and the 6-18 Birth Registration Initiative. It also welcomes the information provided by the State party’s delegation that local authorities at the ward level have been mandated to register children. However, the Committee remains concerned at the low number of births registered, especially in rural areas. In particular, the Committee notes with concern that:
(a)Financial resources allocated to carry out birth-registration initiatives are still insufficient;
(b) The high costs relating to obtaining birth certificates, particularly in rural areas, remain obstacles for many families;
(c) The use of mobile registration, and the organization of public-awareness measures on the importance of birth registration, remain inadequate.
The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (CRC/C/TZA/CO/2, para. 32) and recommends that the State party:
(a) Equip decentralized government authorities at the local level and health facilities to register births and issue birth certificates;
(b) Allocate sufficient funds for strengthening birth-registration initiatives;
(c) Provide birth registration and issue birth certificates free of charge for children under 5 years of age ;
(d) Strengthen and expand m obile birth registration to reach universal coverage, in particular for registering children born outside of health facilities and children who have never been registered;
(e) Increase public awareness of the importance of birth registration and the process by which births are registered.
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