RGD Reminding Parents to Register their Children

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is reminding parents of the importance of registering their children.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the RGD, Dr. Patricia Holness, has emphasised that parents must ensure that their children are empowered by fully registering their births.
“Too often, parents fail to fully register the birth of children, resulting in them being denied certain basic privileges,” the CEO said.
She was speaking against the background of World Population Day, which was celebrated on July 11 under the theme: ‘Fighting Poverty Educating Girls’.
“Women and girls can only escape poverty by being empowered. This empowerment comes mainly through an education, which also includes acquiring a skill,” she explained. “A birth certificate is the main identity document requested for registration in schools,” she added.
The CEO pointed out that statistics for the births in the under 15 age group continue to be a point of concern for the department. Statistics from the RGD for the years 2006 through to 2008, indicate that there were over 1,444 births by girls under the age of 15 years.
The figures further show that within this cohort, 31 girls were having their second child over the same period.
Dr. Holness is appealing to parents to pay keen attention to the activities of their children. “Parents with challenges relating to their girls should take advantage of the Government programmes available in schools, and other programmes available in schools and many churches across the island,” the CEO urged.