The Situation of Children in the Eastern Caribbean Area and UNICEF Response

This Multi-CPAP covers 12 countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands, managed by the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area based in Barbados and some out-posted staff in Trinidad and Tobago. Eastern Caribbean Area countries covered by this document are included in (1) the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) 2012-2016 for Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and (2) UN Joint Programmes for Trinidad and Tobago.

The poverty headcount in the Eastern Caribbean area ranges from 14 per cent in Barbados to 39 per cent in Dominica. The situation of those living under the poverty line is exacerbated by high income inequality where 20 per cent of the richest people receive 57 per cent of total incomei. Children account for a disproportionate share of the income poor in these Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The most disadvantaged girls and boys in the Eastern Caribbean Area include an estimated 500,000 children from income poor families, as well as non-income poor children from rural areas and outlying islands within island states; those at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination- such as boys who have dropped out of school, street children, children in conflict with the law, children in institutions, children affected by migration, indigenous children in Dominica, children affected by HIV and children with disabilities. Furthermore, women and young girls in the Eastern Caribbean are subject to inequalities between household members in distribution of power and resources, unequal pay, women’s disproportionate representation in insecure and poorly paid employment, gender-based violence, physical insecurity, and in some cases discriminatory legislation. Approximately 50 per cent of all households (one million) in the sub-region are headed by women. In Grenada, for example, 40 per cent of children living in non- nuclear households live with their mothers only, compared to three per cent who live with their fathers only.

Progress toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been steady in all countries. However, concerns remain about the consistent HIV rates (with average prevalence between 0.77 per cent and 0.95 per cent), obesity rates, teenage pregnancies, childhood diabetes, undetected disabilities with limited services to treat the identified cases, seasonal environmental diseases (such as dengue), low birth weights, low percentage of children who are exclusively breastfed, and low but fluctuating infant mortality rate (especially in Trinidad and Tobago and British Virgin Islands.

All countries provide free and universal primary medical care and primary education, while access to antenatal care and to a skilled medical practitioner at birth is either near or completely universal. However, the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sectors on the islands are far from reaching all young girls and boys. Service coverage is not comprehensive and disadvantaged children are in many cases denied access. For the 0-2 age cohort, enrolment in formal early childhood centres and pre-schools varies between five per cent in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and 53 per cent in St. Kitts and Nevis. For the 3-5 age cohorts, enrolment ranges from 55 per cent in Dominica to 100 per cent in Montserrat. In the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) sub-region, only 18 per cent (144) of the 788 educations institutions are owned by Government; the remainder are owned or sponsored by private operators, NGOs and faith-based organisations. Additionally, the quality of the ECD programmes in many of the centres is inadequate. The average net enrolment in primary education in 2007 was 90 per cent, ranging from 73.4 per cent in Antigua and Barbuda to 99 per cent in St. Lucia, with an actual decline from previous years in the British Virgin Islands, Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis. Enrolment rates in secondary education are much lower than in primary school, especially among boys. More girls (84 per cent) than boys (77 per cent) enroll in secondary school. Boys also generally underperform compared to girls in secondary school as is reflected in the number of boys (33,377) who wrote the Caribbean Secondary School Certificate Examinations (CXC) in 2009 compared to the number of girls (60,247) from nine Eastern Caribbean countries as well as the number of boys that repeat classes. Furthermore, in 2009, only 25 per cent of students attained passes in at least five subjects in CXC while 28 per cent received no passes. Despite the fact that education receives a relatively large share of national budgets, equating to an average of 5.3 per cent of GDP in the OECS and 4.3 per cent of GDP in Trinidad, the low passing rate in CXC, the gender disparity and inequity continue to exist, highlighting a faltering education system.

Violence and abuse against girls and boys is reported to be widespread. This pattern has gradually increased with the prevalence of gangs, drug and alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, teenage pregnancy, corporal punishment, bullying, poor educational attainment and youth unemployment. A recent Child Sexual Abuse study estimated a child sexual abuse prevalence rate of between 20-45 per cent for the Eastern Caribbean Area. Adolescents, especially boys and those out of school, face many challenges growing up in the sub region, including early initiation of sexual activity and its consequences, male marginalization, mental health issues, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse, migration of parents and disability. Migration within the sub-region remains one of the highest in the world, with the Eastern Caribbean exporting the largest proportion of its constituent population in percentage terms globally. For example, the British Virgin Islands has an emigrated population of 38.3 per cent and Antigua and Barbuda of 22.4 per cent. The recent increased influx of migration into the Eastern Caribbean area by Haitians highlights the impact of migration due to natural disasters.

Eastern Caribbean SIDS are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, such as volcanoes, hurricanes, flood, earthquakes and tsunamis. The Composite Commonwealth Vulnerability Index lists these SIDS among the most vulnerable in the world as a direct result of the prevalence of natural disasters, global warming, and the susceptibility of the economy to external factors such as unfavourable trade agreements, fluctuating oil prices and the unpredictability of income from tourism. In particular, annual hurricanes cause catastrophic devastation to property and the lives of girls and boys and their families. For example, Hurricane Tomas in 2010 cost Barbados US$8.5 million in damages and St. Lucia at least US$3.3 million while leaving an estimated 20,000 girls and boys and their families without potable water for up to two months.

The global economic crisis has exacerbated the inherent structural weakness of the small, open and dependent economies and has slowed progress towards meeting the MDGs. The economies of the OECS grouping contracted by 7.4 per cent in 2009 in GDP and this trend is projected to continue into 2012. During this economic crisis, most countries have reduced their public spending by almost one-third. Unemployment has also increased considerably due to the economic crisis, with youth and women’s unemployment being two to three times higher than the national unemployment rate. Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, there are a number of social safety net programmes that endeavour to mitigate particular vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, due to governments’ financial constraints and political preferences, coverage of social safety net programmes is far from universal. Coupled with the fact that the systems have been found to be uncoordinated, inefficient and in many cases, poorly targeted, they are unable to reach even a majority of the income poor and disadvantaged women and children.

UNICEF Response UNICEF developed a programme in the areas of (1) ECD policy, standards and regulatory frameworks in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Montserrat and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; (2) community-based rehabilitation programmes for children in conflict with the law in Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia; (3) introducing the child-friendly school approach with an emphasis on alternative disciplinary practices in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and Saint Lucia, reaching 9,933 girls and boys from 33 primary/junior secondary schools (13.4 per cent of primary/junior secondary schools); (4) NGO-led models for reaching at-risk children and adolescents outside classrooms (635 girls/ 674 boys), to influence wider policy on programming for positive adolescent development, especially for girls and boys who are poor, out of school or having problems at school; (5) alternative and government-led early childhood model to provide early stimulation interventions to poor and under-served children under age 3 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines ; (6) the expansion of the national children’s hotline (ChildLine) in Trinidad and Tobago to provide 24-hour access to a counseling and referral service.

Key strategies include (a) collection of up-to-date data and strengthening administrative data systems on children at national and subregional levels; (b) a strong equity agenda with a focus on the most disadvantaged girls and boys in all 12 countries; (c) innovative state models and initiatives in four prioritized countries – those with the lowest level of gross national income, (d) South-South sharing with other Eastern Caribbean countries through the strategic partnership with CARICOM and the OECS Secretariat to support scaling up of systematic approaches in ECD, education and child protection; (e) promoting a protective environment and disaster risk reduction (f) enhancing the capacity of potential Eastern Caribbean Centres of Excellence in advocacy, research and analysis, and (g) joint programming1. These new roles for UNICEF will aim to position

iGalofré-i-Vilà, G., An Overview of Socio-Economic Indicators in the Eastern Caribbean and Implications for Children and Households, 2010, UNICEF i National Social Safety Net Assessments (2009) support by UNICEF, UNIFEM and World Bank National Social Safety Net Assessments (2009) support by UNICEF, UNIFEM and World Bank and i Estimations from UNICEF, UNICEF, World Bank (2010), Compendium Report of Social Safety Net Assessment (covering St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados) i Government of Grenada (2005) Core Welfare Indicators Survey, CDB/UNDP, St. Georges i Calculated on the basis of UNGASS Country Progress Reports, and data obtained from respective countries. Variation exists because St. Lucia’s prevalence is determined to be between 0.22% and 1.8% i http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT i http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/trinidad_tobago_statistics.html i UNICEF (2010), draft Situation Analysis of Children and their Families in the Eastern Caribbean i UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean (2010). Early Childhood Care and Education in the Caribbean Community. Report prepared for the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, Moscow, 27-29 September 2010 iWilliam, S and Charles, LD (2006) Early Childhood Care & Education in the Caribbean (CARICOM states) UNESCO p.13 i Average % over the 11 countries with enrolment figures from 2005-2008 i UNICEF, Draft Situational Analysis, Secondary School Enrolment Rate (2003-2008) Net i Five subjects in CXC is the acceptable performance for matriculation and entry level employment- i OECS Secretariat (Nov 2009), Towards a New OECS Education Development Agenda, p.10 i Nation Master Trinidadian Tobagonian Education Statistics, http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/td-trinidad-and- tobago/edu-e… i UNICEF / University of Huddersfield / Action for Children (2009), Child Sexual Abuse in the Eastern Caribbean p.10 i UNICEF BECO (Aug 2009) The Impact of Migration on Children in the Caribbean p.1 i United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division International Migration Report 2006: A Global Assessment Found at: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/2006_MigrationRep/Profiles_country.pdf i Small States: A Composite Vulnerability Index, Commonwealth Secretariat/World Bank Task Force on Small States, 1999. i ^ Brancker, Nadia (8 November 2010). "Business to get moving in Barbados". The Barbados Advocate: p. Pg 2.. http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/businessmonday/default_bottom.asp?RetrievePage=20101108BMWWW/20101108_P2.j pg&TopNav=True&PageNumber=2. Retrieved 12 November 2010. "...as well as the fall out from the passage of Tropical Storm Tomas, 20 miles to the South of Barbados causing damages estimated at BDS$17 million." i http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/st_vincent_news/47156.html i http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IDA/Resources/IDA-OECS.pdf i UNDP (Dec 2009) "Social Implications of the Global Economic Crisis in Caribbean SIDS: Synthesis of the Findings of 7 countries studies" p.18 i Youth ranging from 15-24 years i Galofré-i-Vilà, G., An Overview of Socio-Economic Indicators in the Eastern Caribbean and Implications for Children and Households, 2010, UNICEF i UNICEF, UNICEF, World Bank (2010), Compendium Report of Social Safety Net Assessment (covering St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados)