Senegal: trafficking in civil status documents, an evil that distorts the country’s statistical data

#Senegal : In Senegal, the arrest a few weeks ago of two retirees from the civil status service for fraudulent preparation of civil status documents brought to light a vast network. According to several citizens, this affair is only the tip of the iceberg and the evil is very deep.

Pape Abdou Diodio Boye and Abdou Aziz Kane, already convicted of forgery and use of forgery, quietly continued their business by making false birth certificates and marriage certificates, until their arrest a few weeks ago.

If Senegalese take advantage of this traffic for an easy trip or a marriage abroad, foreigners also solicit forgers for the preparation of a birth certificate to benefit from the Senegalese identity card. In exchange for such a service, a large sum of money is paid by the beneficiary, who might also vote for a candidate in return, as some suspect.

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In any case, this traffic is dangerous for several reasons according to citizens, who think that the image of the country might suffer from it. The evil, according to those interviewed, results from the attitude of elected municipal officials who prefer to work with their untrained and poorly paid activists, rather than with real civil registrars trained in the right school.