Alcohol Abuse


MaximsNewsNetwork: KIRIBATI ISLAND – ALCOHOL ABUSE & CHILDREN (UNTV)
MaximsNewsNetwork: 05 July 2010 – UNTV: Kiribati, Pacific Islands – In Kiribati, one of the least developed Pacific island nations, alcohol abuse is pushing people to practice corporal punishment on young children; UNICEF and the government of Kiribati are working together to establish routine birth registration immediately after a child is born.
It is customary in Kiribati for women to take in children in need and when children are subjected to violence, they are now encouraged to speak up.
SOUNDBITE (Ikiribati) Sana, adoptive parent:
“When I took the girl her cheeks were bruised, and she was bleeding from the corner of her eye. Her mouth was cut up, and her back, legs and neck were severely scratched.”
SOUNDBITE (Ikiribati) Bara, adoptive parent:
“This is the place where I saw Bas getting beaten up by the couple that was known as her adoptive parents. The adoptive dad said, “It’s better to kill that baby, rather than hurting her so bad. I told the adoptive mom that I will take care of the baby and bring her to my house.”
SOUNDBITE (Ikiribati) Sana, adoptive parent:
“The child had really bad bruises and scratches and her head was dislocated.”
“My husband and I promised the police to take good care of her no hitting or spanking.”
“The first time she came to my family her thinking was different from other normal kids. She was scared of people, and she liked to stay alone without others touching her.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Baram, social worker, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kiribati:
“They want to adopt Bas. She came to us, seeking for help for legal adoption but the case is very complicated because the real mother, the biological mother, she’s very hard to trace.”
“They didn’t legally adopt the child because the biological mother sold the child to the couple for fifty cents.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Joao Mendes, child Protection Officer, UNICEF, Kiribati:
“Most of the people have never been registered — parents, including their child. So that means that we cannot move forward in terms of legal adoptions.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Yun Jong Kang, head, UN office, Kiribati:
“They produce their own home brew because buying this kind of imported drink from the shops is also expensive.”
“When the men drink they beat the woman or the wife and the children so, it really leads to domestic violence.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Joao Mendes, child Protection Officer, UNICEF, Kiribati:
“Many of them say that it’s good to be beaten if they really have done something wrong. You know, this is a cultural traditional perception. It’s very difficult really to fight the violence when the people perceive that the violence can be used to settle the problems in the family or the community.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Joao Mendes, child Protection Officer, UNICEF, Kiribati:
“If you look at the police behaviour now, comparing to three, five years ago, it’s a little bit different because now the perception of the corporal punishment and violence in the family is totally different.”
“Basically what happens if an orphan appears in the community… the extended family used to take the orphan and take care of him.”
SOUNDBITE (Ikiribati) Sana, adoptive parent:
“Bas and I are always together. If she sees me, she comes to me and talks. She asks when she wants to drink and eat. She doesn’t like to talk with people only me. Wherever I go, she’s with me all the time.”