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Birth Registration
Bangladesh
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Bangladesh
Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Declaration and Notification
Informants
Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The informant is the person who reports to the local registrar the occurrence of a vital event within the prescribed time limit. The law should establish, clearly and unequivocally, one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for birth registration to the civil registrar. The head of the health facility should be the primary informant for live births occurring in a health facility. Alternative informants, in order of priority, are: mother, father, nearest relative of the mother, any adult having knowledge of the facts. Additionally, the legislation should explicitly state what type of facility is considered a “health facility” for purposes of being an informant.
The Births and Deaths Registration Act, Section 8, places responsibility for reporting a birth on the "Father, Mother, guardian or any prescribed person." Section 9 of the Act adds a long list of other people who "may" report a birth to the registrar, including local authorities and health workers.
The Birth and Death Registration Rules further adds that if any of the persons in Section 8 "are not present at the time of birth," then the responsibility to report the birth falls on the "brother, sister, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents of the person concerned" or "the institutional Head or the person authorized by him, in the event of birth . . . at any institution." Read together, the law is interpreted as placing primary responsibility on either parent, for birth in or outside of health facilities.
Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring outside health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is recommended that the law establish clearly and unequivocally one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for the registration to the civil registrar. If a live birth occurs outside a health facility, the birth attendant (such as a midwife, nurse, doctor or other medical professional), should be the primary informant designated by law. However, the law may designate alternative informants and establish the order in which each of them must assume his or her responsibilities. Alternative informants, in order of priority, are: mother, father, nearest relative of the mother, any adult having knowledge of the facts.
The Births and Deaths Registration Act, Section 8, places responsibility for reporting a birth on the "Father, Mother, guardian or any prescribed person." Section 9 of the Act adds a long list of other people who "may" report a birth to the registrar, including local authorities and health workers.
The Birth and Death Registration Rules further adds that if any of the persons in Section 8 "are not present at the time of birth," then the responsibility to report the birth falls on the "brother, sister, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents of the person concerned." Read together, the law is interpreted as placing primary responsibility on either parent, for birth in or outside of health facilities.
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring in health facilities?
Notification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring in health facilities, the most effective approach is to designate the head of the institution (or designee) as informant. Some countries follow a two-step process, in which the health sector notifies the registrar of the birth (providing some, but no all, needed information), but he parents must still declare the birth to the registrar in order for the birth to be registered. This two-step approach is considered less effective in ensuring high registration rates. In some countries, the health sector is neither informant nor notifier, but instead simply issues a document to the parent(s) that serves as proof of the birth. The health sectors limited role in this third option is not recommended practice. Finally in some countries, specified health staff may be designated as registrars or assigned some registrar functions, which helps bring registration closer to the people.
Section 9 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act includes health workers among a long list of people who "may" provide information about births to the Registrar. Birth and Death Registration Rules, Rule 20(1), states that "medical institutions or health workers may submit the birth or death information of a person eligible for registration online to the Registrar." These provisions provide the legal support for the current process for in-facility births, which is as follows: when a birth occurs in a health facility, health workers enter the birth registration information into the online system, then print and provide a copy of the information entered online to the informant. The informant then must go to the Registrar's office to complete the registration process in person [Rule 20(4)] .
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring outside health facilities?
Notification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births that occur outside a health facility, the most effective approach is to designate the birth attendant - e.g., doctor, nurse, or midwife - as the informant. For births occurring outside a health facility without a birth attendant, an effective approach is to designate community health workers (including vaccination workers, nurses, doctors and other health professionals who see newborns for paediatric visits) as informants to register the birth of children that are unregistered and visited by them. Alternatively, some countries follow a two-step process, wherein the healthcare workers notify the birth to the civil registrar; however, the parent or other informant must still declare the birth to the civil registrar in order to register the birth.
Section 9 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act includes health workers among a long list of people who "may" provide information about births to the Registrar.
Birth and Death Registration Rules, Rule 20(1), states that "medical institutions or health workers may submit the birth or death information of a person eligible for registration online to the Registrar." These provisions provide the legal support for a pilot project in Kaliganj, referred to as the Kaliganj model. In the Kaliganj model, Health Assistants go door to door and collect information regarding births in the community. These Health Assistants submit completed registration forms to the assistant health inspector who sits in a community clinic or local health center and verifies any missing information before submitting the form to the Registrar online. Based on this information alone, the birth is registered. The family need not report to the registrar, except to collect the birth certificate. This process is used in some jurisdictions, but not all, for out of facility births.
Does the law provide a process for the registration of births occurring in prison or other detention facility?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births in custody, it is recommended that the law assign responsibility to a specified person, such as head of detention facility or head of health services within detention facility, to notify the civil registrar of such births.
Section 9 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act provides that "for births or deaths taking place in jails, the jail superintendent or any delegated person" "may provide information to the Registrar for the registration of births or deaths." The Birth and Death Registration Rules further provide that if the mother, father or guardian of a child is not available to register the birth, the obligation to report the birth to the registrar is placed on the institutional head, in the event of a birth in an institution. This provision can be applied to births that take place in prisons.
What role do local leaders or local authorities have in the registration process for births that occur in the community?
Notification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring outside a health facility, local leaders or local authorities may have a role in providing parents with proof of the event (such as a birth notification), notifying the birth to the local registrar, or acting as the informant. It can be good practice to Integrate civil registration functions with the duties and responsibilities of established local authorities who have close direct links to communities
Section 9 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act includes village police among a long list of people who "may" provide information about births to the Registrar. This provision provides the legal support for a pilot project that uses village police (staff from local union councils, not regular police) in the process to collect birth information from families and submit completed forms to the civil registration office. The village police thus became intermediaries between families (who remain the informant) and the civil registration office.
