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VOL. 7, ISSUE 2 (2025)
An appraisal of rectification and reconstitution of civil status certificates in Cameroon
Authors
Doh Gima Joseph
Abstract
In
Cameroon, during the establishment of civil status documents, errors could be
made, given the fact that they are drawn up by human beings who are fallible,
in which case, it can be rectified and on the other hand, civil status
certificates might be lost, destroyed by any unforeseen circumstances or acts
of force majeure, in such cases, they can be reconstructed. Generally, such
rectification and reconstitution of civil status certificates may be effected
only by court decision, however, the civil status officer can do the
modification at the time of establishment, but before the signature. In
Cameroon, despite the provision for possibility of rectification and
reconstitution of civil status certificates, many citizens who suffer from
erroneous information or loss or destruction of any civil status certificate,
hardly succeed in invoking these remedies. This is because of the unnecessary
complexity in the procedures of effecting rectification and reconstitution
which has been identified by critics and scholars in recent years. In addition,
the boundary between rectification and reconstitution the has become less
clear. This paper seeks to give an appraisal in this area of the law, within
the context of civil status certificates in Cameroon. This has been done by using the qualitative methodology where, both
content and comparative analysis have been used to analyse primary and
secondary data. The data is interpreted using inductive, deductive, analogy and
justification philosophies. The study concludes that the the unnecessary
complexity in the procedures of effecting rectification and reconstitution can
be reduced. It is therefore recommended that the executive should pass a decree
that makes the procedures for rectification and reconstitution simplified and
less cumbersome and also the Computerization of the National System of Civil
Registration program to ensure speed and security in the procedures.
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Pages:46-51
How to cite this article:
Doh Gima Joseph "An appraisal of rectification and reconstitution of civil status certificates in Cameroon". International Journal of Law, Policy and Social Review, Vol 7, Issue 2, 2025, Pages 46-51
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