In Tajikistan, every year, more than 50.000 citizens delay the birth registration of their children for various socio-economic and bureaucratic reasons.

Dilfuza, a mother of 5 children, lives at the remote Jamoat Urmetan, which is 35 km far from the district centre Ayni, in the Sughd region of Tajikistan. In 2017 Dilfuza gave birth to her fourth daughter - Oisha, and in 2019 to her only son - Abubakr. Due to multiple reasons, including her overly busy schedule as a housewife, mother of five, and poor social and economic conditions, she missed permitted by the law the deadline of twelve months limit to register the birth of Oisha and Abubakr in her Jamoat and the eligibility for free birth certificates for her children.

According to the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan on “State Registration of Acts of Civil Status”, people residing in rural areas can register the birth of children up to a year at the Jamoat level; after that period, they are referred to a District Registry Office, which is often located far from their place of residence.

“A year earlier, a year later” — nothing will happen”, thought Dilfuza and delayed receiving the children’s birth certificates. Later, she realized that the delay could cause her more challenges, such as visiting a different registration location far from her village, additional time and more money. 

Dilfuza comes from a low-income family. Her husband, like many other men in the region, is the only breadwinner in the house, who struggles to provide for his family and takes on any available daily job as a handyman – ‘mardikor’. “A round trip to the nearest District Civil Registry Office by public transport is more than my family’s daily income, and I can’t bear that expense; therefore, I postponed the registration. Like me, many other parents are reluctant to do the birth registration for their children from these mountainous communities due to lack of proper awareness, low income and the distance in hilly areas like us”, said Dilfuza, sharing her experience.

To increase the birth registration rate in the country, especially among vulnerable people, the Government of Tajikistan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), took several legislative and policy reform steps to make sure no child is left behind. Under this initiative, in 2021, the Civil Registration Department of Tajikistan launched the first Mobile Civil Registry Office to target unregistered children. It addressed the needs of people residing in hard-to-reach areas of landlocked mountainous Tajikistan. Mobile Civil Registry Office has an equipped vehicle designed to travel regularly to render legal advice and provide on-site birth registrations without any cost to the population. It addresses the challenge of low birth registration in remote areas with limited access to the internet and modern digital technologies.

After introducing the Mobile Civil Registry Office, things have changed for Dilfuza and her two younger children, who, along with others, received on-site birth registration services. In addition to birth registrations, marriages are also registered using the Mobile Civil Registry service.

“I learned about the Mobile Civil Registry Office from a local female leader, who underlined the significant value of obtaining a birth certificate for every child as a legal proof of identity,” said Dilfuza.

“I am grateful to the Civil Registry Department of the Ministry of Justice and its international partners for this initiative. Given our living conditions, quality of life, and mobility constraints, I probably would not have applied to the District Registry Office soon to obtain birth certificates for my youngest children. Now I feel confident that my children will be visible to the state institutions, and both children will have access to education when they reach school age,” she further shared.

The story of Dilfuza is not unique and illustrates a common problem prevailing in remote rural areas of Tajikistan. The birth registration can be a challenge for the parents and the civil registry offices. Both sides should work hand in hand to ensure all children are counted and their rights are protected.

During November – December 2021, Mobile Civil Registry Office visited 18 remote districts and rendered legal advice and civil registration documents to 386 people.

This is how UNDP Tajikistan is working with the government to make sure no child is left behind from having a legal identity.