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Cameroon Says Millions of Children Deprived of Birth Registration

Moki Edwin Kindzeka

   MAROUA, CAMEROON - Cameroon says more than 2 million children in the
   country of 25 million do not have required birth certificates. The
   central African state blames dropping birth registration on the
   conflicts affecting parts of the country and the COVID-19 pandemic.

   About 400 schoolchildren and their parents gathered Friday at the
   Government Bilingual Primary School in Cameroon's northern town of
   Maroua, as head teacher Pierre Ngeala spoke about the importance of the
   document for all citizens.

   "When learners do not possess this document, at the end of the primary
   cycle the child cannot continue the education," he said. "He becomes a
   dropout, he joins those in the streets, becomes drug addict, gangster
   and what have you."

   Ngeala said 140 of the 400 children in his school do not have birth
   certificates. He said most come from families who fled Boko Haram
   attacks on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria.

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