UNICEF awards Subang for birth registration law<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) awarded officials in
\nSubang, West Java on Tuesday for the introduction of a local
\nlegislation on free birth registration in the regency.<\/p>\n
\"More than half of Indonesian children under the age of five
\nare not officially registered, despite the fact that birth
\nregistration is a fundamental right of every child.<\/p>\n
\"This makes children vulnerable to age-related abuse,
\nexploitation and discrimination,\" said UNICEF chief of advocacy
\nand social mobilization John Budd in a statement.<\/p>\n
He was present on behalf of UNICEF representative in Indonesia
\nGianfranco Rotigliano during the 57th commemoration of Subang
\nregency's anniversary.<\/p>\n
The awards were given to the Subang regent and Subang council
\nspeaker.<\/p>\n
According to the National Socio-Economic Survey 2001, less
\nthan half of Indonesian children under the age of five are
\nofficially registered, 24 percent in West Java and 17 percent in
\nSubang.
\n This places the country 19th on the list of nation's with the
\nlowest rates of birth registration, much lower than the
\nPhilippines (84 percent), Thailand (96 percent) and Malaysia (98
\npercent).<\/p>\n
Speaking at the award ceremony, Budd said that birth
\nregistration is the only permanent official record of a child's
\nexistence -- proof that the government recognizes the child and
\nacknowledges its responsibilities toward the child.<\/p>\n
\"If a sizable proportion of children are never registered,
\nsuch children may be excluded from government plans to provide
\nadequate schooling, health and recreational facilities for
\nchildren in other laws and regulations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Birth registration is a link to other essential rights
\nincluding access to quality education and to health care, as well
\nas allowing the greater protection of children at risk of being
\ntrafficked or at risk of being exploited, including commercial
\nsexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
The registration also allows for proper care and consideration
\nfor children in contact with the law, by ensuring that they are
\nrecognized as children and are handled as such by the juvenile
\njustice system.<\/p>\n
According to UNICEF, Subang regency is one of the few
\nregencies that have implemented the Child Protection Law by
\nintroducing local legislations to ensure the non-discriminatory
\nregistration of every child born in this regency.<\/p>\n
The system allows civil registration offices to work in
\ncoordination with other related sectors, such as health
\nprofessionals, universities, bureaus of statistics and offices of
\nreligious service to ensure that every birth is registered
\nproperly.<\/p>\n
\"It is an inspiration and model for other regencies,\" Budd
\nsaid. \"This model highlights Subang's commitment and proof of its
\n'Children First' strategy at work.<\/p>\n
\"However, further national-level legislation and guidelines on
\na national-level civil registration and vital statistics system
\nare still needed to ensure the continuous and permanent
\nregistration of all vital events -- including births. This
\nrequires political commitment, a comprehensive legal framework
\nand the capacity to implement it throughout all regencies in
\nIndonesia,\" Budd said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unicef-awards-subang-for-birth-registration-law-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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