Dedza chiefs itch for birth certificates
Some chiefs in Traditional Authority (T/A) Tambala’s area in Dedza have asked the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to start issuing birth certificates to babies soon.
The local leaders said this on Monday on the sidelines of an awareness campaign organised by NRB with financial support from World Vision Malawi.
Group Village Head (GVH) Napwanga said it is difficult to identify child marriages in the absence of birth certificates as some parents cheat on the ages of their children to have them married off.
He said: “We find it difficult to challenge such marriages because we fail to agree with parents on the ages of their children. That is why we feel birth certificates will be a long-term solution to child marriages.”
Napwanga was corroborated by GVHs Mpombe, Tambala and Kapanda.
Dedza district assistant NRB registrar Boniface Butawo said his office is currently collecting details of all babies born in the district’s health facilities.
“We will soon start processing birth certificates for all babies whose details we have collected so far,” he said.
Butawo asked the chiefs to encourage expectant mothers in their areas to deliver at health facilities for their babies to be registered.
