Almost 800 thousand babies, the equivalent of a quarter of Brazilians born in 2002, were not registered at the legal time - until 90 days after the birth. Without the civil certificate, they aren't recognized as citizens.

Civil Registration Data divulged yesterday by IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística - Geography and Statistics Brazilian Institute) show that the sub - notification of births and deaths - associated to poverty, social exclusion and lack of information - is still a severe problem in the country.

The Civil Certificate, data base most updated on Brazilian vital statistics (births and deaths), taken from the registration offices., indicate a rate of 24.4% of sub - registered births. Through IBGE estimating, in 2002 were born almost 3.5 million people. A quarter of these births (almost 800 thousand) were not registered in the legal time.

The number raises to 1 million if it was considered the babies without certificate on the first year of life. The difference of 200 thousand children refers to the births occurred from October to December of the following year, since it was completed the period of three months.

By the law, it is obliged the notification at registration offices that proves the birth and death of inhabitants of a country. Without the certificate, it is almost as if this people never had existed. Without documents, a person can't vote, go to the army or receive any kind of benefit, like retirement or pension. "We must overcome the poverty, and this means to integrate a population segment that is marginalized", said Tadeu Oliveira, manager of IBGE Vital Statistics.

The sub-registered problem repeats itself at the death statistics: by IBGE statistics, 19.5% of deaths occurred in 2002 were not notified.

The data still were not separated by region, but, tradicionally, North and Northeast had the highest averages on sub - registration.

At the Northeast, 36.2% of deaths were not registered and, at the North, 32.3%. the average decreases to 13.5%, at the Middle - East, 11% at Southeast and 7.5% at South.

According to the demographer Celso Simões, technician at IBGE social indicators area, the ideal is that the sub - notification average stays near to zero - verified, according to him, at European countries.

The average of 24.4% of sub - registered is referred to 2002 births. There was a small decrease in relation to 2001, when the birth sub - register proportion was of 25.6%; at 2000, the average was 22.7% and, at 1991, of 29.8%.

IBGE have no estimation on the population total that live without any document. The reduction of sub - registered since 1991 is considered small and due to some campaigns done by the government. At IBGE evaluation, still are few the effects of the law 9,534, of 1997, that guaranteed the gratitude of the first copies of birth and death certificates.

"There was a parcel of Brazilians that pass through life without been registered", said the social scientist Cláudio Dutra, remembering that, mainly at the North, the sub - registered is associated to the distances.

A data that helps to measure the sub - notification problem is the percentage of birth late registration, such as, done off the legal period.

In 2002, 29.9% of birth certificates done in Brazil were late. Through IBGE data, the late registration increases at the years where there is elections. This, at the specialists analyze, possibly it is due to the fact that the candidates stimulate the voters to make the certificate - and following, the voter's card.

At North and Northeast, the late registration proportions were, respectively, 60.7% and 45%. Nine States had more than 50% of late registration: Maranhão (71.1%), Pará (65%), Amazonas (63.7%), Roraima (58.9%), Amapá (58.1%), Alagoas (56.8%), Piauí (56.5%), Acre (54.1%) e Tocantins (54%).

Nowadays, the late certificate is also done when the parents need to put the children at school or take other documents, like the voter's card.

The Arpen president (Pessoas Naturais Registratodores Associação Nacional - Natural People Registration National Association), Jaime Araripe, said that, of the 8,200 civil registration offices existing in the country, almost 3,500 only do this kind of work. Without income, many shut down.

Wrong Data

The informations of Civil Registration for the municipalities of São Paulo State were divulged yesterday with errors by IBGE and will be corrected.

The mistakes didn't modify the following results, according to IBGE, thus they would have been exhanged only some municipalities totals.

According to the institute, the data on the municipalities from São Paulo state were collected by by Seade Fundation (Fundação Sistema Estadual de Análises de Dados - Data Analyses State System Foundation).

When the IBGE re - wrote the informations, a software problem modified the results. A technical note divulged yesterday by the institute informed that the corrected results were divulged as soon as possible.

Births, death and marriages are informed to IBGE by the civil registration offices, and separations and divorces, by the Family Jurisdictions, Forum and Civil Jurisdictions.

Folha de S.Paulo - Cotidiano - 12/18/2003 - p. C-8

More information with Clóvis Boufleur, Juliana Kuwano and Annalice Del Vecchio,
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E-mail: juliana@pastoraldacrianca.org.br, annalice@pastoraldacrianca.org.br e lilian@pastoraldacrianca.org.br

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