Namibia: Home Affairs encourages child-naming before birth
Published: 26/Apr/2017
Source: New Era (Windhoek)
Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana has urged parents, particularly fathers, to name their babies before they are born to enable delivering mothers to register their children at birth.
The pre-birth naming is also necessary to ensure that absent fathers do not hinder babies from being registered at birth and subsequently deny them a chance of acquiring national documents.
“All newborn babies should be registered before birth, so they get birth certificates immediately after birth,” Iivula-Ithana said.
Speaking at the Swapo Party’s 57th celebration at Eenyama in Ohangwena Region recently, she said the ministry is aware of the difficulties some individuals encounter in acquiring national documents, but the minister encouraged them to take up the responsibility of acquiring national documents.
The minister further said the Bill on the conferment of Namibian citizenship on Angolans residing in Namibia from 1978 to 1989 is in the pipeline. Equally, the ministry is also busy with the Uniform Matrimonial Regime Bill, which aims to unify the marital regime in the country.