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I remember my time in Kiribati with much fondness . . .
Lucia lived in Temwaiku village. She was 13 and attended the Junior Secondary School. When the breeze from the ocean broke the stillness on hot afternoons, she usually stepped out of the hut she shared with her family. She liked to stroll on the road with her friend Maki––they giggled without much cause, shared stories of the day in school, happenings in the village among other things.
Kiribati is basically (almost) a crime free, traffic free community. Children are free to go in and out of their homesteads any time, without restrictions. Though surrounded by water, I never heard of incidences of drowning in any of the islands. It wasn't an issue.
I lived in Temwaiku village for about 4 years. I loved living there––enclosed by the emerald- breadfruit and coconut trees . . . the soft fragrance of frangipani flowers, loud hues of the hibiscus . . . fierce waves of the Pacific Ocean in the background.
There are no playgrounds in Temwaiku (still true). In most places the island is too narrow. Lack of playgrounds bothered me. In many duty stations including in Afghanistan, we worked with the government to establish playgrounds for children (we even tried to build a park for women in Herat??). I remember I discussed the importance of playgrounds with the government colleagues––there was a bit of empty land at the edge of South Tarawa where the road turned towards the broken bridge. My suggestion was received with lukewarm enthusiasm . . .
Sometimes Lucia joined boys to a game of football––liked to kick a ball. They played on the main road. Tarawa has only one road that connects from one end of the island to the other. Children, piglets and dogs are in control of the road most of the time. The drivers had to be extremely cautious, especially in Temwaiku.
I saw Lucia quite often in the early evenings with her friends.
"What do you like most to do?" I had asked her the first time we met.
"I love drinking beer. . ." was her quick response, with a giggle.
Whenever she had the money she bought beer. Teenage drinking is a big problem in Kiribati. We started to talk . . .
I told Lucia and Maki about UNICEF. They wanted to bring their friends to my residence to talk about uniting against underage drinking. Behavior change needs time (UNICEF is still into changing behavior regarding water and sanitation . . . ). Anyway, it was good to begin the dialogue.
Drinking is a part of the culture- the local brew or Todi is made from the juice of the coconut tree. It turns into alcohol after fermentation within a few hours. With adults, children get to taste Todi from an early age. It's available everywhere, in abundance. Beer and alcohol are sold openly. Kiribati does not strictly enforce a ban on underage drinking. Many young girls (like Lucia) and boys get into drinking––some out of boredom, some for the "kick" of it or under the influence of peer pressure and some others due to lack of proper adult/parental oversight and guidance.
Research showed that roughly in the age group of 15-24 years one person out of three had at least one STI in the country. Teenage pregnancy was also high–– about 20%. Underage drinking was one of the culprits for risky behaviors among the adolescents and the youth.
During my time (2011-March,2015), UNICEF Kiribati focused on programs to empower children and young people so that they could take more control of their lives. In partnership with the Community Police, diversion programs were being implemented in South Tarawa and some outer islands with involvement of the communities and the youth to help them to avoid risky and unruly behaviors. Under UNICEF's sponsorship all police (400 in total including 20 female- police) in the entire country received training on child friendly procedures and skills to handle children who were in conflict with the law
What constitutes an offense in Kiribati?
Offenses are all acts of disrespect to Kiribati culture or harm to others by violating their rights. An offense is mainly related to alcohol use and associated unruly behaviors. (During my tenure, children as young as 13 to 17 years old were into drinking and while drunk they threw stones at vehicles, shouted, used obscene language, got into street fights, and other risky acts).
The records provided by community police showed that the offences were more often committed by adolescents/young people from dysfunctional families and children out of the education system. There was no specific Act/Provision for young people facing justice but the international juvenile justice principles were well accepted and applied in all police stations and by single or lay magistrates in the court.
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Government was committed to CRC and legislative reforms took place with UNICEF's support to create a protective environment for children and the youth. "Children, Young People and Family Welfare" Act was passed and being implemented as of today to ensure that the children and the youth in Kiribati lead a life that offers love, protection, dignity, and intellectual and spiritual growth.
I lived in Temwaiku village for about 4 years. I loved living there––enclosed by the emerald- breadfruit and coconut trees . . . the soft fragrance of frangipani flowers, loud hues of the hibiscus . . . fierce waves of the Pacific Ocean in the background.
There are no playgrounds in Temwaiku (still true). In most places the island is too narrow. Lack of playgrounds bothered me. In many duty stations including in Afghanistan, we worked with the government to establish playgrounds for children (we even tried to build a park for women in Herat??). I remember I discussed the importance of playgrounds with the government colleagues––there was a bit of empty land at the edge of South Tarawa where the road turned towards the broken bridge. My suggestion was received with lukewarm enthusiasm . . .
Sometimes Lucia joined boys to a game of football––liked to kick a ball. They played on the main road. Tarawa has only one road that connects from one end of the island to the other. Children, piglets and dogs are in control of the road most of the time. The drivers had to be extremely cautious, especially in Temwaiku.
I saw Lucia quite often in the early evenings with her friends.
"What do you like most to do?" I had asked her the first time we met.
"I love drinking beer. . ." was her quick response, with a giggle.
Whenever she had the money she bought beer. Teenage drinking is a big problem in Kiribati. We started to talk . . .
I told Lucia and Maki about UNICEF. They wanted to bring their friends to my residence to talk about uniting against underage drinking. Behavior change needs time (UNICEF is still into changing behavior regarding water and sanitation . . . ). Anyway, it was good to begin the dialogue.
Drinking is a part of the culture- the local brew or Todi is made from the juice of the coconut tree. It turns into alcohol after fermentation within a few hours. With adults, children get to taste Todi from an early age. It's available everywhere, in abundance. Beer and alcohol are sold openly. Kiribati does not strictly enforce a ban on underage drinking. Many young girls (like Lucia) and boys get into drinking––some out of boredom, some for the "kick" of it or under the influence of peer pressure and some others due to lack of proper adult/parental oversight and guidance.
Research showed that roughly in the age group of 15-24 years one person out of three had at least one STI in the country. Teenage pregnancy was also high–– about 20%. Underage drinking was one of the culprits for risky behaviors among the adolescents and the youth.
During my time (2011-March,2015), UNICEF Kiribati focused on programs to empower children and young people so that they could take more control of their lives. In partnership with the Community Police, diversion programs were being implemented in South Tarawa and some outer islands with involvement of the communities and the youth to help them to avoid risky and unruly behaviors. Under UNICEF's sponsorship all police (400 in total including 20 female- police) in the entire country received training on child friendly procedures and skills to handle children who were in conflict with the law
What constitutes an offense in Kiribati?
Offenses are all acts of disrespect to Kiribati culture or harm to others by violating their rights. An offense is mainly related to alcohol use and associated unruly behaviors. (During my tenure, children as young as 13 to 17 years old were into drinking and while drunk they threw stones at vehicles, shouted, used obscene language, got into street fights, and other risky acts).
The records provided by community police showed that the offences were more often committed by adolescents/young people from dysfunctional families and children out of the education system. There was no specific Act/Provision for young people facing justice but the international juvenile justice principles were well accepted and applied in all police stations and by single or lay magistrates in the court.
–––––––––
Government was committed to CRC and legislative reforms took place with UNICEF's support to create a protective environment for children and the youth. "Children, Young People and Family Welfare" Act was passed and being implemented as of today to ensure that the children and the youth in Kiribati lead a life that offers love, protection, dignity, and intellectual and spiritual growth.
Tarawa Police had only 3 vehicles during my time
Public performance on social issues by adolescents at the Bonriki airport, Tarawa
(Note: this story was first published in the UNICEF-Pacific website. I have edited it for the XUnicef blog. Names are changed).
Thanks Nuzhat. I love stories about islands. Please write more. It's a shame that alcoholism is a way of life for the young people of Kiribati, lacking a playground and space to bpay football.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for reading, Horst. I will take your advice and try to write more about my island experiences.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your articles. The 4 th of july piece was great.
Stay well!