Leave no one behind, Count Everyone

Did you know? the infamous ongoing Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, the reports state that the 2014 census that occurred in Myanmar was a hogwash. It deliberately didn’t count the Rohingya community because they are a minority. Or In 1965, some southern states of the US purposefully under-counted the minority in their census. The African Americans faced difficulties in casting their vote despite the fifteenth Amendment which guarantees the right to vote on account of race, caste, color, religion, and previous condition of servitude. They were deliberately under-counted to prove their in-existence among the white people. The similarity between the above two examples was that these countries manipulated the population data, and the difference is that one of them is a developed country and another is a least developed country. Therefore, under-counting purposefully can happen in any country, which reminds me of the current year’s theme of World Population Day which is “Leave no one behind, count everyone.” 

Still, why is it so important to have an accurate census without any under-count? The answer to this question is very simple. If the population data is inaccurate, it would lead to an unequal distribution of resources. The government funding and services are allocated based on the population data it receives through the census. An under-count would lead these resources away from those marginalized communities. 

Additionally, accurate population data is important to plan public services such as schools, hospitals, and transportation. If the census is not taken, there’s a chance of insufficient allocation of these public services, plus an outdated census will indeed make it strenuous to measure progress on issues for example, poverty reduction, how many people got educated, common death reasons, etc. Moreover, a census is an extremely important need for minority groups and under-counted populations in order to have a fair number of representatives in the government so that policies can be implemented in their favor and according to their needs. Furthermore, when it comes to socioeconomic data like employment status, occupation, income level, housing conditions; demographic data like age, sex, marital status, education level, ethnic group; geographic data like migration patterns, population density, and place of residence, the census becomes an essential part for the development of the country. Therefore, it is our right as well as our duty to participate in the census and encourage people belonging to minorities to participate in the census. Taking a census helps identify emerging issues and track the effectiveness of policies, facilitates businesses to target marketing campaigns, and helps the government formulate better plans for the future. Can you imagine a country where resources are distributed equally, everyone has a say in the government, and the government has precise, future-oriented plans? A complete and accurate census is the first step towards achieving that goal.

-Soham Sonar