United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Child Protection Chief Silvia Pastir, while addressing a seminar on Civil Registration & Vital Statistics (CRVS) at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Wednesday revealed that only 33 percent of children under the age of five in Pakistan are registered, local media reports have informed. This means that out of approximately 23 million children, only 7.7 million are registered and two out of three children do not officially exist in the country.

Speaking at the seminar was organised by the Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform in collaboration with UNICEF, UNICEF Child Protection Chief Silvia Pastir said that birth registration is more than just a right.

On this matter, the Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform Assistant Health Chief Dr Mirza Asad Ali Baig, said that CRVS systems were a fundamental function of the government.

He added that in recent years, the government had demonstrated an increased commitment to social sector development and a comprehensive multi-sectoral CRVS strategy had been put in place. He said that in accordance with Goal 1 of the Asia-Pacific Regional Action Framework, Pakistan was committed to achieving universal birth registration by 2024 and by 2025, all people of Pakistan would benefit from universal and responsive CRVS systems that facilitate the realisation of their rights and support good governance, health and development.

He said that Digital Registration System launched last year in Punjab and Sindh would go a long way in achieving positive results.

CRVS Technical Adviser Dr SM Mursalin gave a presentation on various dimensions of the civil registration system. He was of the opinion that a birth certificate could safeguard a child’s right to education, health, justice and protection from violence, early marriage and child labour.