A vital statistics system is defined by the United Nations "as the total process of (a) collecting information by civil registration or enumeration on the frequency or occurrence of specified and defined vital events, as well as relevant characteristics of the events themselves and the person or persons concerned, and (b) compiling, processing, analyzing, evaluating, presenting, and disseminating these data in statistical form"[citation needed] Civil registration is defined by the United Nations as the" continuous, permanent, compulsory, and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events (live births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, and divorces) and other civil status events pertaining to the population as provided by decree, law or regulation, in accordance with the legal requirements in each country.
"[citation needed] Prior to the creation of the General Register Office (GRO) in 1837, there was no national system of civil registration in England and Wales.
However, with the great increase in nonconformity and the gradual relaxation of the laws against Catholics and other dissenters from the late 17th century, more and more baptisms, marriages and burials were going unrecorded in the registers of the Anglican Church.
The increasingly poor state of English parish registration led to numerous attempts to shore up the system in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
In addition, the government wanted to survey matters such as infant mortality, fertility and literacy to bring about improvements in health and social welfare.
It was hoped that improved registration of vital events would protect property rights through the more accurate recording of lines of descent.
While the number of births and deaths can be obtained by enumeration at certain points in time (e.g. censuses and surveys), civil registration collects this information on a continuous basis and is the only source that provides individuals with a legal document.
Birth registration is also part of a broader strategy to ensure that children are less vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, especially if separated from their parents.
In the absence of a functioning birth registration system, it is difficult to see how a country can enforce age-related legal concerns such as schooling, child labour, juvenile justice, early marriage, sexual exploitation and military recruitment.
Recent natural disasters and calamities have also demonstrated the utility of a birth certificate for reuniting lost children with their families.
Toronto scientist, professor Prabhat Jha argues that inexpensive recording of vital statistics in developing countries is the most effective means to improve global health[3] and has outlined 5 options for expanding Cause of Death reporting.
Because of the variety of data sources and their associated biases, causes of death assessments are inherently uncertain and subject to vigorous debate.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control:[6] In the United States, legal authority for the registration of these events [i.e., births, deaths, marriages, and divorces] resides individually with the 50 States, 2 cities (Washington, DC, and New York City), and 5 territories (Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).