As many as 26,000 children have not been registered during their birth in Karnali Province. According to the National Census, 2021, there were 204,638 children below the age of five in the Province. As per the census, 25,990 children were yet to have registered births.

Among 87.3 per cent registered birth, the number of girl children remains higher by 0.7 per cent, according to the census. Lack of awareness is said to be the top cause behind non-registration, the stakeholders said. Child right activist Nawaraj BC explained that the parents lacked awareness that they should register the births of their children on time.

The birth registration of the children whose fathers could not be identified can be done but the documentation is not done for such children, described BC. The government has placed a policy so that no children should be deprived of birth record but lax implementation is leaving many children’s birth undocumented, he lamented.

The father and mother of the child have to mandatorily enlist their children in birth registration along with a name. The birth registration is required for a child to get a birth certificate which is the first legal document of identity for the newborn.

The provincial Ministry of Social Development has been launching an awareness drive after finding the reason for children missed in birth registration, informed Anita Gyawali, Head of Women, Children and Senior Citizen Division.