Dr. Patricia Holness, chief executive officer of the Registrar General's Department, picks up a document while Deputy CEO Bryan Aikman looks on during a press briefing Thursday, to update the media on the first free birth certificate initiative, which was implemented January 1. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff PhotographerShelly-Ann Thompson, Gleaner Writer
Data released Thursday by the Registrar General's Department (RGD) indicate that more fathers are placing their names on their children's birth certificates.
Approximately 67 per cent of fathers, for January's births, have turned out to have their names on their child's age paper, said Dr. Patricia Holness, chief executive officer of the RGD, during a press conference held at the Terra Nova Hotel in St. Andrew.
A milestone
This figure is a milestone as, previously, only 24 per cent added their names to their children's certificate at registration on a monthly basis.
"Our fathers are taking a different approach to caring and nurturing," said Dr. Holness. She added that "this is dispelling the myth that Jamaican fathers are not interested in fatherhood."
The surge in fathers' interest, she said, is largely due to the Free Birth Certificate Initiative which was implemented by the RGD on January 1. Under the initiative, babies born within hospitals are registered at 'bedside' and, if a name is provided, a free first copy of the birth certificate is given.
Good figures
Since the initiative, results for January also showed that 94 per cent of children were registered with a name against 27 per cent before the pilot project. Figures for the first month also indicated that 100 per cent of children born were registered in the same month against a previous 44 per cent.
The new system, said Dr. Holness, will provide additional safeguards against the challenges that children face when entering school in the early stages of their lives.
In May, Child Month, the RGD will be embarking on an islandwide campaign geared at closing the 'no-name' gap.
shelly-ann.thompson@gleanerjm.com
