The responsibility of parents is crucial for ensuring birth registrations of newborn babies to effectively prevent child marriage for attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs) timely, reports BSS.
Officials and experts expressed the views at a post-rally discussion held at conference room of the Deputy Commissioner in Rangpur in observance of the National Birth Registration Day-2019.
The district administration with assistance of the Office of the Registrar General of Birth and Death Registrations of the Local Government Division organised the rally and discussion in observance of the day.
Government officials and Secretaries and Entrepreneurs of the Union Digital Centres (UDCs) of all 76 of Union Parishads in eight upazilas of the district participated in the programmes.
Deputy Commissioner Md. Asib Ahsan addressed the discussion as chief guest with Deputy Director (Local Government) for Rangpur Syed Farhad Hossain in the chair.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Syed Enamul Kabir, President of Rangpur district unit of Bangladesh Union Parishad Secretaries’ Samity Ashraf Babu and District Facilitator of UNDP Md. Matiur Rahman addressed as special guests.
Syed Farhad Hossain said ensuring birth registration of all babies is compulsory for the authorities concerned as per the National Children Policy, 2011.
“The parents should mandatorily registrar birth of their babies within 45 days of birth as per the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 2004 and its implementation policies of 2018,” he added.
The speakers said registering a birth within 45 days of childbirth does not require any cost, but the parents should have to pay fees if they do the same after expiry of the period.
Matiur Rahman suggested every parent to register birth of their babies soon after their birth.
Ashraf Babu said the role of Union Parisahd Secretaries and parents is the most important to ensure timely registration of birth of newborn babies.
“No premature girl will fall prey to child marriage anymore in the future if birth registration of newborn babies was done timely as none can cheat with the age,” Babu added.
The chief guest stressed on creating social awareness for ensuring birth registration of every newborn baby not only to eliminate child marriage, but also to attain the SDGs by 2030 on way to build a developed Bangladesh by 2041.