WHAT IS CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS?

The United Nations defines Civil Registration as the "continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording by registration of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population as provided through decrees or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements of each country"
It deals primarily with events that affect the civil status of the individual. Such events include births, deaths, stillbirths, marriages, annullment of marriages, foundings, naturalization, etc. The laws of most countries, including Nigeria, make the recording of these events' compulsory. The statistics genetrated from the exercise is referred to as 'Vital Statistics'. These events are referred to as "Vital" because they have to do with the individual's entry into, and departure out of life, with the changes in civil status in his/her lifetime.

LEGAL FRAME WORK FOR CIVIL REGISTRATION

In Nigeria, the law on the registration of these events is Act 69 of 1992 otherwise known as 'Births, Deaths, Etc (Compulsory) Registration' Act.

BENEFITS OF CIVIL REGISTRATION

The uses of civil registration data can be grouped into three namely, Statistical, Medical and Administrate.

STATISTICAL BENEFITS

1. Vital statistics provides additional data independent of census, on meausures, trends and patterns of fertility and mortality for the entire nation and for the small geographical areas.
2. Complete registration of births provides the sex ration at birth, which is a very important piece of information for use in population projections
3. The data from civil registration gives information on the seasonality of births and deaths. This has relevance for the planning of related services.
4. The system is used as a check on census enumeration, particularly among the infant, child and young age groups, where under-enumeration is common.

HEALTH SECTOR

1. Data on deaths and their causes are essential in the planningof health services for specific areas, as well as for the whole country. For example, statistics on cause of death are useful in forecasting the future direction of age-specific mortality
2. Epidemiological studies based on causes of morbidity, which have a strong influence in the reflection of mortality, are usually based on records of vital statistics generated by the system.

ADMINISTRATIVE

1. Birth registration records provide the necessary legal and doocumentary evidence to certify a person's age, parentage, birthplace, and nationality or citizenship
2. Birth certificates are used in the determination of a person's eligibility for enrolment in and admission into school, obtaining a passport, employment, age group competitions, sports, entitlement to health care, voting in elections, etc.
3. In order to enjoy other social benefits, such as family allowances, insurance claims, child care allowances, tax relief, the birth certificate is usually required.
4. The records of death and death certificates provide legal evidence relevant to claims of property, insurance benefits relating to deceased persons, the right of surviving spouses to remarry, and for family allowances.
5. Birth certificate helps to check incidences of child trafficking, early marriage for the girl child, child labor, child soldiers, police harrassment and unlawful detention