Fijians have one more week to take advantage of the Bainimarama Government’s amnesty for late registrations of birth.
Until March 15th, Government is waiving the usual fee of $11.50 for late registrations to encourage people to come forward to receive birth certificates. A late registration is a registration made more than twelve months after birth.
So far, more than 1,100 Fijians across the country have taken advantage of Government’s amnesty. This includes 215 Fijians in the Lau Group, 213 on Ovalau, 195 on Rabi and Kioa and 107 on Koro.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said these figures demonstrate the extent of unregistered births in Fiji, a problem which was allowed to grow under past governments.
“Proof of identity is a fundamental right that a government must offer its citizens so that they can access basic services such as education, social welfare, health care and registering to vote,” the Attorney-General said.
The Attorney-General said that the Bainimarama Government is determined to uphold this right by actively reaching out to Fijians to encourage them to register their children’s births.
“In addition to this period of amnesty, we are opening new births, deaths and marriages offices around the country, extending their opening hours and continuously sending Government teams out into rural and maritime communities to conduct registrations,” he said.
Registration drives have recently been undertaken in the Lau Group and Rabi.
The Attorney-General has urged Fijians to take advantage of the last week of amnesty to register themselves and their children if they have not already done so.
MINFO