By Rutendo Mapfumo

In Binga District, an alarming trend has emerged where the failure to acquire birth certificates is leading to an increasing number of girls being unable to proceed beyond Grade 7, ultimately pushing them into early child marriages.

The cycle often begins with a teenage girl who, without an identity card, delivers a child at home and is unable to register the birth. Alumbwe Nyoni, a 17-year-old mother from Mpati Village in Tinde, is one such example. She revealed that she has never registered her one-year-old daughter because she herself lacks an identity card.

Nyoni is among the many teenage mothers in Binga who were unable to continue their secondary education due to the lack of birth certificates, and instead opted for early marriage.

According to Danisa Mudimba, the Programmes Manager of Basilwizi Trust, the issue of teenage pregnancies and early marriages is a significant contributor to the high number of unregistered children in Binga District.

“During our surveys and projects, we have noted that teenage pregnancies play a role in the increase of unregistered children. This is because the young mothers are below 16 years, and our civil registration act requires individuals to acquire an identity document when they turn 16. This means that those parents who are below 16 years do not have the necessary documents to register their children for early birth registration,” Mudimba explained.

To address this challenge, Basilwizi Trust has implemented the Campaign for Birth Certificates and Identity Cards (CICABID) since 2023, aiming to increase birth registration in the region. However, Mudimba noted that some clinics in Binga have birth registration offices that are not fully used by young mothers due to lack of relevant documents.

“In our campaigns, we educate the community on the importance of early birth registration as we complement the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s idea of child registration within the first three days. We have conducted awareness campaigns and encouraged communities to acquire IDs and birth certificates as their right, which will help them access education, as every child should have a birth certificate to register for examinations with correct names, age, and information.”

Mudimba further revealed that the distance to sub-offices for birth registration had also contributed to the low rates of child registration in Binga.

“People walk for long distances for birth registration, for instance, mothers walk from Chunga to Siabuwa where there is a sub-office for birth registration. This distance costs US$10 when using buses, and there is also the need for accommodation, all of which contribute to the low birth registration.”

Mudimba appealed to the government to review the relevant section of the civil registration act to consider the birth registrations for children born to mothers under the age of 16. Additionally, she has advocated for the increased decentralisation of birth confirmation, with traditional leaders now able to confirm the birth of children, especially those born at home, and the establishment of more sub-offices for birth registration.

By addressing the issue of birth certificate acquisition, the Binga community can take a significant step towards ensuring girls’ access to education and preventing the cycle of early child marriages, ultimately empowering the next generation.