Operation Birthright

The Operation Birthright Project ensures all Jamaicans have a legal identity. The initiative aims to bridge the legal divide of the undocumented persons, by providing support to children and adults without legal identification, who are financially unable to apply for a birth certificate, to register and obtain a birth certificate. A birth certificate is required by the public and private sectors for Jamaicans to access several vital services such as immunization, education, financial services and formal employment.

Operation Birthright Project Objectives

The objectives of the Project are as follows:

To develop a process for identifying and registering needy undocumented Jamaican nationals
To register needy undocumented Jamaican nationals and the issuance of a RGD computer-generated birth certificate so that these individuals can obtain legal registration.

Eligibility Criteria

Be born in Jamaica.
Aged 1 year and above.
Have never received an electronic version of a birth certificate.
Have a monthly income of J$60,000 and below (minimum wage).
Not be in receipt of a birth certificate under any other government funded programme.
Recommended by any person listed below.
- Head of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.
- Senior Official in the Ministry of Local Government certifying an individual as a registered poor.
- Member of Parliament
- Justice of the Peace
- High Court Judge
- Resident Magistrate
- Clerk of Courts
- Medical Practitioner
- Minister of Religion
- Police Officer (Gazetted Ranks)
- Parish Councillor
- Dental Surgeon
- Principal (Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Educational Institutions)
- Veterinarian
- Bank Manager
- Attorney-at-Law
- Army Officer (Major & above)
- Official Representative of the Salvation Army
- Official Representative of the Missionary of the Poor
- CEO/Coordinator of a Registered Civil Society Organization
- Head of the PATH programme in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security

Registration Targets

Data published by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute and information from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) were used as the baseline for indicators for the OB Project. The table below gives the baseline and the targets for achievement.

Indicators

2020 / 2021 Baseline

2022 / 2023 Targets

No. of Jamaicans without legal identification (ID)

200,0000 (May include persons without birth certificates)

Reduced by 20% annually via the issuance of a birth certificate and National Identification Card.

No. of Strategic Partnerships with community groups, political representatives, and organizations to identify persons without legal identification

0.00

Increased partnerships with 63 Members of Parliament and 228 councillors’ island wide. Establish partnerships with Jamaica Post to distribute forms to churches and community organizations via over 200 post offices island wide.

No. of persons with no access to COVID-19 grants due to no legal identification

35,000

50% reduction over 2 years.

No. of persons with no birth certificates

11,000 (estimated using data from a program executed by JSIF in 2017)

Issue 11,000 birth certificates across 14 parishes between FY 2022/2023 – 2023/2024.

Operation Birthright