Situation Analysis of Children in Vanuatu ©United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Pacific Office, Suva June 2017 This report was written by Kirsten Anderson, Ruth Barnes, Awaz Raoof and Carolyn Hamilton, with the assistance of Laura Mertsching, Jorun Arndt, Karin Frode, Safya Benniche and Kristiana Papi. Maurice Dunaiski contributed to the chapters on Health and WASH. Further revision to the Child Protection chapter was done by Shelley Casey. The report was commissioned by UNICEF Pacific, which engaged Coram International, at Coram Children’s Legal Centre, to finalise the Vanuatu Situation Analyses. The Situation Analysis was managed by a Steering Committee within UNICEF Pacific and UNICEF EAPRO, whose members included: Andrew Colin Parker; Gerda Binder (EAPRO); Iosefo Volau; Laisani Petersen; Lemuel Fyodor Villamar; Maria Carmelita Francois; Settasak Akanimart; Stanley Gwavuya (Vice Chair), Stephanie Kleschnitzki (EAPRO); Uma Palaniappan; Vathinee Jitjaturunt (Chair) and Waqairapoa Tikoisuva. The contents of the report do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. UNICEF accepts no responsibility for error. Any part of this publication may be freely reproduced with appropriate acknowledgement. Suggested citation. United Nations Children’s Fund, Situation Analysis of Children in Vanuatu, UNICEF, Suva, 2017 Cover Image: © UNICEF/UN0224241/Sokhin Situation Analysis of Children in Vanuatu 2 Situation Analysis of Children in Vanuatu Table of Contents Executive Summary _______________________________________________________________ 4 Acronyms _________________________________________________________________________ 8 1. Introduction _______________________________________________________________ 10 1.1. Purpose and scope ______________________________________________________ 10 1.2. Conceptual framework ___________________________________________________ 11 1.3. Methods and limitations _________________________________________________ 13 1.4. Governance and validation _______________________________________________ 14 2 . Context ___________________________________________________________________ 15 2.1. Geography and demographics ____________________________________________ 16 2.2. Main disaster and climate risks ___________________________________________ 17 2.3. Government and political context__________________________________________ 20 2.4. Socio-economic context _________________________________________________ 20 2.5. Legislative and policy framework __________________________________________ 23 2.6. Child rights monitoring ___________________________________________________ 24 3. Health and Nutrition _______________________________________________________ 27 3.1. Child mortality __________________________________________________________ 29 3.2. Child health, immunization and communicable diseases ______________________ 30 3.3. Maternal health _________________________________________________________ 33 3.4. Adolescent health _______________________________________________________ 35 3.4.1. Fertility and contraceptive use _______________________________________ 35 3.4.2. HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections __________________________ 36 3.4.3. Substance abuse __________________________________________________ 37 3.4.4. Mental health _____________________________________________________ 37 3.5. Nutrition _______________________________________________________________ 39 3.5.1. Child stunting and wasting __________________________________________ 40 3.5.2. Anaemia _________________________________________________________ 40 3.5.3. Low birth weight and underweight ___________________________________ 41 3.5.4. Obesity __________________________________________________________ 41 3.5.5. Breastfeeding _____________________________________________________ 42 3.6. Key barriers and bottlenecks ______________________________________________ 43 3.6.1. Human and financial resources ______________________________________ 43 3.6.2. Access to equipment and services ___________________________________ 44 3.6.3. Urbanisation ______________________________________________________ 44 3.6.4. Climate and disaster risks __________________________________________ 44 3.6.5. Data collection and collation ________________________________________ 45 4. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene ______________________________________________ 46 4.1. Climate change, disaster risk reduction and WASH __________________________ 47 4.2. Access to improved water sources ________________________________________ 49 4.3. Access to improved sanitation facilities ____________________________________ 52 Table of Contents 3 4.4. Hygiene practices _______________________________________________________ 56 4.5. WASH in schools, menstrual hygiene management and disabilities ____________ 58 4.6. Barriers and bottlenecks _________________________________________________ 60 4.6.1. Climate and disaster risks __________________________________________ 60 4.6.2. Resources and monitoring _________________________________________ 60 4.6.3. Geography and infrastructure _______________________________________ 60 4.6.4. Equity ___________________________________________________________ 61 5. Education _________________________________________________________________ 62 5.1. Early childhood education ________________________________________________ 66 5.1.1. Access to early childhood education _________________________________ 67 5.1.2. Quality of early childhood care provision _____________________________ 68 5.1.3. Bottlenecks and barriers in early childhood care and education __________ 69 5.2. Participation in primary and secondary education ____________________________ 71 5.2.1. Accessibility ______________________________________________________ 72 5.2.2. Quality in primary and secondary education __________________________ 74 5.2.3. Bottlenecks and barriers in primary and secondary education ___________ 76 5.3. Tertiary and vocational education __________________________________________ 78 5.3.1. Barriers and bottlenecks ___________________________________________ 80 6. Child Protection ____________________________________________________________ 82 6.1. Child protection risks and vulnerabilities ____________________________________ 85 6.1.1. Nature and extent of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children __85 6.1.2. Community knowledge, attitudes and practices _______________________ 90 6.1.3. Drivers of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children __________ 90 6.2. The child protection system ______________________________________________ 92 6.2.1. The legal and policy framework for child protection ___________________ 92 6.2.2. Child protection structures, services and resourcing ___________________ 95 6.2.3. Mechanisms for inter-agency coordination, information management and accountability ___________________________________________________ 100 6.3. Other child protection issues ____________________________________________ 101 6.3.1. Birth registration _________________________________________________ 101 6.3.2. Children with disabilities __________________________________________ 102 6.3.3. Climate change and natural disasters _______________________________ 104 7. Social Protection _________________________________________________________ 106 7.1. Profile of child and family poverty and vulnerability _________________________ 108 7.2. Bottlenecks and barriers to ensuring an effective social protection system _____ 112 8. Conclusions ______________________________________________________________ 117 8.1. Climate change and disaster risks _______________________________________ 117 8.2. Financial and human resources __________________________________________ 117 8.3. Geography ____________________________________________________________ 118 8.4. Equity ________________________________________________________________ 118 8.5. Gender _______________________________________________________________ 119 8.6. Cultural norms and approaches __________________________________________ 119 8.7. Impacts of poverty and vulnerability ______________________________________ 119 8.8. Absence of data _______________________________________________________ 120 4 Situation Analysis of Children in Vanuatu Executive Summary Introduction Key barriers and bottlenecks This report aims to present a comprehensive The following key barriers and bottlenecks were assessment and analysis of the situation of children identified from the full situation analysis (SitAn) of and women in Vanuatu. It provides an evidence base children and children in Vanuatu. to inform decision-making across sectors that are relevant to children and women, and it is particularly Climate change and disaster risks: Vanuatu intended to contribute to the development of faces an increasing risk of extreme weather and programmes and strategies to protect, respect and natural disasters due to its location within the fulfil the rights of children and women in Vanuatu. Pacific ‘ring of fire’, and to climate change-related weather conditions. A key finding of this report Vanuatu is a republic comprising 83 islands and atolls is that climate change and disaster risks have a (63 of which are inhabited) in the Melanesian region considerable impact on all sectors in relation to the of the Pacific. Vanuatu had a population of 234,023 realisation of children’s and women’s rights. in 2009, with an annual growth rate of 2.3 per cent. While Vanuatu is the least populous island nation Financial and