No father for 100 thousand births registered in Brazil this year

Data from civil registration offices across Brazil show that 100,717 children were registered without their father’s name in the first seven months of this year. Therefore, of the 1,526,664 births registered in the period, 6.5 percent only include their mother’s name.

The proportion is higher than the six percent recorded in 2021—when 96,282 of the 1,586,938 kids born were not registered with their father’s name.

In the view of Gustavo Fiscarelli, head of Arpen-Brazil, which manages the data from the nation’s 7,654 notary offices, the statistics show considerable room for improvement when it comes to paternal responsibility in the country. 

“Both fathers and mothers are responsible for raising their children. They must share responsibilities. Each family has a different reality, of course, but these are substantial data that can form the basis for public policies,” he argued.

Fiscarelli underscored the role of notaries public. “Notaries encourage paternity recognition through advertising, permanent programs, and initiatives such as collective paternity registration days, in partnership with local court authorities.”

Adding the father’s name

Since 2012, including the father’s name in a birth certificate is possible at any local register office. Even when the decision comes long after the birth, if all parties involved agree, court rulings are no longer required.

When the father takes the initiative, he can go to a civil registration office with a copy of the child’s birth certificate and the permission of the mother—or the permission of the son or daughter, if they are no longer under age.

If the father is not willing to acknowledge paternity, the mother may state his name at the register office and the notary public will report the case to the authorities so that an inquiry may be opened.

Also possible as of 2017 is a special, non-biological category of paternity where parents raise a child through a social and emotional relationship, provided the mother and biological father agree with the decision. In this procedure, the notary is responsible for verifying concrete information, including a health or social security plan for the child, residence in the same household, and conjugal ties with the biological parent.