VITAL REGISTRATION

VITAL REGISTRATION

This consist of continue of registration of some vital events like births, deaths, marriages, divorce etc. information about vital events are usually collected by means of compulsory registration for such event within a short time after occurrence. U.N defines vital registration as follows;

The continues and permanent, compulsory recording of the occurrence and the characteristics of vital events primarily for their value as legal documents as provided by law and secondarily for their usefulness as a source of statistic.

Characteristics of Vital Registration

1.     Vital registration is a national event.

2.     It is a continuous registration event unlike Census which is done on fixed date.

3.     The event is permanent one; there must be permanent structures in place.

4.     It is a compulsory event.

5.     Vital Registration certificate is a legal document.

6.     Universality; it affects everybody, everybody is involved.

Vital Registration is the responsibility of the government or its agency. The National Population Commission is saddled with the responsibility of the vital registration and also Census.

The vital registration must have a system or a structure in place consisting of offices and appoints a registrar.

SYSTEM OF VITAL REGISTRATION (APPROACH OF VITAL REGISTRATION)

There are two systems of vital registration;

1.     Active method (active system of vital registration).

2.     Passive method (passive system of vital registration).

Active method is a system in which an office is created and registrars are appointed who go to the field and collect the date.

Passive system on the other hand, is a system in which an office is created and the registrars are appointed but they wait for people to come to them for the registration instead of them going to the field to collect the data like the active vital registration.

NATURE OF VITAL STATISTICS

The registration of births, deaths, marriages etc. involve lodging of a standard form which give some certain essential information. The form includes the following:

FORM OF BIRTH HAS THE FOLLOWING

1.     Characteristics of the Child; i.e. date of birth, date of registration, sex, types of birth, the legitimacy of the child either within wed-lock or outside wed-lock, place of birth is also very important.

2.     Characteristics of the Parent; i.e. such as date of birth (age of the parent), names of the parents, date of marriage, occupation of the parents, usual place of residence, names and age of the previous children born to the mother; name of the medical personnel that attended the birth of the child.

FORM OF DEATH HAS THE FOLLOWING:

Death registrations forms usually records the name , age, sex, marital status of the deceased, occupation, place of birth, date of deaths; cause of death.

MARRIAGE REGISTRATION FORMS INCLUDES:

1.     Date of birth of the couples.

2.     Occupation of the couples.

3.     Religion of the couples.

4.     Birth place of the couples.

5.     Place of usual residence of the couples.

6.     Previous marital status of the couples.

7.     Dates and place of the marriage.

DIVORCE DATA REGISTRATION FORMS HAS THE FOLLOWING:

1.     Date of divorce.

2.     Date of birth of partners (ages).

3.     Date of marriages.

4.     Number of children before divorce.

5.     Occupation of partners.

6.     Place of usual residence before divorce.

MIGRATION DATA REGISTRATION FORMS HAS THE FOLLOWING:

This is the responsibility of the Nigerian Immigration Officers unlike others where it is the registrar that is saddled with the responsibilities;

1.     Age

2.     Sex

3.     Mental status

4.     Occupation

5.     Nationality

6.     Purpose of the visit

7.     Information of the length of time of staying

ROLE OF VITAL REGISTRATION

Ø As a Legal Document

Ø As a Sources of (Birth Certificate)

As A Legal Document

1.     Prove the right to tour name.

2.     To prove citizenship and nationality or place in the society where the issues and privileges and rights are challenges.

3.     Prove for establishing family relationship i.e. setting inheritance, arranging for transfer of property, insurance claim.

4.     Apply for drivers licenses (it need prove of age in order to get a driver’s licensed).

5.     Social security benefits (i.e. pension).

6.     Application to carry fire arms can be approved when you presented to age (birth certificate) for self defense.

7.     We need birth certificate to apply for marriage without parental approval especially in developed countries.

8.     Exercising of voting rights requires a certain age.

9.     Life assurance policies.etc.

10.Some certain medical service like surgery.etc.

11.It is useful for evaluating effectiveness of some government programmes.

PROBLEMS OF VITAL REGISTRATION

1.     Poor system of vital registration.

2.     Model of vital registration that is in place we are still using passive where the registrar is sitting in his office waiting for the date to come instead of active where he went out and collect the data

3.     The system is not publicized; proportionate numbers of people are not aware which is why people are not registering.

4.     There is no motivation; people are not motivated, i.e. people are asked to pay for the registration.

5.     The fine for not compliance is not enforced that is there is no sanction.

6.     Inaccessibility of the registration offices; the offices are not known by the public especially in the rural areas.

7.     The rural people in particular are ignorant of the use of Vital Registration.

8.     There are alternative legal document e.g. sworn declarations of age etc., instead of taking children for register.

Socioeconomic effects i.e. births and deaths ceremony.