• • • • The Act further provides for requirements and conditions to be met by places of safety, remand homes, institutions and training institutions for children. The Act in Section 57 - 75 provides for the procedure of adoption of children, and the requirements for carrying out such a procedure. In Section 2A, the Act restricts the employment of children and young persons. It also sets out the establishment of a Child Welfare Council which deals with children’s issues. In Section 75E, the Act provides for the registration of birth of a person adopted in a foreign country. The procedure is that if the Registrar-General is satisfied in regard to any adoption which the High Court has decided in terms of Section 75 (C) or 75 (D) should be recognized that a) the adopter is a citizen of Zimbabwe and b) the adopted person is a minor, the Registrar– General shall, on application by the adopter, cause the adopted person’s birth to be recorded in the register of births of the district in which the High Court made the declaration. Such an application is supposed to be accompanied by an adoption order, declaration or order of the High Court and such documentary evidence the Registrar may consider sufficient. Comment In the above cases, a birth certificate is a critical document as it helps in the identification of the child and for the child to qualify for assistance under the Act. This is a children’s act but does not in any way confer birth registration of children as a right. Moreso, the Act does not have a bill/section of children’s rights as expected in such a statute. 2.3.7 Administration of Deceased Estates Act [6:01] The Act provides for the registration and administration of deceased estates. • Section 3 of the Act provides the Master’s office as the sole office which registers, administers and keeps records of deceased estates. • Section 5 provides for provision of death notices to the Master, Assistant Master or Magistrate. • In addition, it provides for the deposit of wills, submission, search for concealed wills, order for delivery of will, and registration of wills at testators’ death by the office of the Master. • The Act in Section 12, 13, 14 provides for the inventory, completion of the inventory for the registration of an estate. Section 21 provides for custody of the estate of the person not married in community of property. • The Act provides that in the absence of the spouse, the child or children of the deceased shall be custodian of the estate. • The Act provides for issuing of letters of administration to executors. • The Act also provides for the appointment of an Executor. The Executor can be a surviving spouse or a next of kin. • The Act also provides for the distribution of the estate to the beneficiaries. Birth Registration Research Report/2007 25