Census shows 114,000 children without birth registration in Brazil

The IBGE announced this Thursday (8) that the number of children up to 5 years old, registered, increased in relation to 2010, according to the 2022 Census. Data indicate that even so, 114,221 children did not have their birth certificates specified for their legal representatives, around 0.7%.

According to the IBGE, in 2022, the country had 10,461 indigenous children up to 5 years old without proper civil registration. However, there was a greater demand compared to 2010, since in that year, approximately 34% of indigenous people up to 5 years old did not have any legal recognition. The percentage of children without civil registration, however, was less than 1% in other racial groups, the 2022 census now shows.

Among people who declared themselves brown, 39,458 had no type of registration; among those who declared themselves white, 22,671; among those who declared themselves black, 4,905 and among those who declared themselves yellow, 189.

Lack of registration is lower in the North

It is a region that concentrates 45% of the indigenous population and consequently has the lowest percentage of registered children — 97.3. Among the states, the worst situation is Amazonas (96%). The 10 northern cities with the lowest civil registration rates, Alto Alegre and Amajari (which cover the Yanomami land), have less than half of the children up to 5 years old registered.

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_{Indigenous children have the lowest civil registration rate in Brazil (Photo: Reproduction/FG Trade/Getty Images Embed)}

The registration must include the individual's name, sex, details, time and city of birth, as well as the names of the parents. To obtain the document, parents must present their ID, CPF, and marriage certificate or, in the absence of this, a birth certificate for unmarried couples. All births must be registered within 15 days, and in the case of remote locations, this can be extended to 3 months. It must be done in the place where the person was born, but outside the legal deadline, the registration can be carried out at the registry office of the author's residential district. There is no fine, and parents can be accompanied by two witnesses, all with documents.

Other data from the 2022 Census

What was found in the 2022 Census began to be released in June 2023 and some obvious details:

— Brazil has 203 million inhabitants;

— No country is predominantly female and is also becoming increasingly older. The average age of Brazilians is now 35 years old, making half of the population older than that. Women make up 51.5% of all Brazilians;

— The number of indigenous people grew by 89% (to 1.7 million) compared to the previous Census. A new research methodology for these peoples allowed a larger number of people to be identified;

— It was found that, for the first time, the majority of Brazilians declared themselves to be brown and that the black population increased.

— After 50 years, the term “favela” was used again in the questions;

Important: Without a civil birth certificate, issued at a registry office, a person cannot obtain documents, preventing access to essential public services. The main purpose of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is for all Brazilians to have a legal identity, especially a birth certificate, by the year 2030.

Featured photo: Census agent in 2022 (Reproduction/Roberto Custódio/Instagram)