UNICEF awards Subang for birth registration law
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) awarded officials in Subang, West Java on Tuesday for the introduction of a local legislation on free birth registration in the regency.
"More than half of Indonesian children under the age of five are not officially registered, despite the fact that birth registration is a fundamental right of every child.
"This makes children vulnerable to age-related abuse, exploitation and discrimination," said UNICEF chief of advocacy and social mobilization John Budd in a statement.
He was present on behalf of UNICEF representative in Indonesia Gianfranco Rotigliano during the 57th commemoration of Subang regency's anniversary.
The awards were given to the Subang regent and Subang council speaker.
According to the National Socio-Economic Survey 2001, less than half of Indonesian children under the age of five are officially registered, 24 percent in West Java and 17 percent in Subang. This places the country 19th on the list of nation's with the lowest rates of birth registration, much lower than the Philippines (84 percent), Thailand (96 percent) and Malaysia (98 percent).
Speaking at the award ceremony, Budd said that birth registration is the only permanent official record of a child's existence -- proof that the government recognizes the child and acknowledges its responsibilities toward the child.
"If a sizable proportion of children are never registered, such children may be excluded from government plans to provide adequate schooling, health and recreational facilities for children in other laws and regulations," he said.
Birth registration is a link to other essential rights including access to quality education and to health care, as well as allowing the greater protection of children at risk of being trafficked or at risk of being exploited, including commercial sexual exploitation.
The registration also allows for proper care and consideration for children in contact with the law, by ensuring that they are recognized as children and are handled as such by the juvenile justice system.
According to UNICEF, Subang regency is one of the few regencies that have implemented the Child Protection Law by introducing local legislations to ensure the non-discriminatory registration of every child born in this regency.
The system allows civil registration offices to work in coordination with other related sectors, such as health professionals, universities, bureaus of statistics and offices of religious service to ensure that every birth is registered properly.
"It is an inspiration and model for other regencies," Budd said. "This model highlights Subang's commitment and proof of its 'Children First' strategy at work.
"However, further national-level legislation and guidelines on a national-level civil registration and vital statistics system are still needed to ensure the continuous and permanent registration of all vital events -- including births. This requires political commitment, a comprehensive legal framework and the capacity to implement it throughout all regencies in Indonesia," Budd said.