Poor statistics in the Marshall Islands are hindering the government's response to poverty.
Estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line are often based on figures that are out of date..
But more recent reports have attempted to create a domestic poverty line, giving a clearer idea of who is falling behind.
Our correspondent Giff Johnson told Amy Harrison that poverty is increasingly a problem, despite some organisations claiming that poverty is declining in the Pacific region in general.
Transcript
Giff Johnson: I would say anybody who is saying poverty rates are dropping in the Marshall Islands aren't living here and watching what's happening in this country. The job market here has largely been stagnant. Not only are people heading out looking for job opportunities, but also for education and healthcare. All previous efforts at comparing poverty levels here in the Marshall Islands compared against countries like the United States or elsewhere, so obviously a huge percentage of the population in the Marshall Islands was at poverty levels when compared to the US. Then when you get a new assessment that's done more focussed on a Pacific Marshall Islands model, well presumably it will be lower so maybe people go "oh I see the poverty rate has come down." But I think the significance of this ADB report that's still in draft form, it's focussed on vulnerability in the Marshall Islands, is simply that it's the first real effort at creating a Marshall Islands based definition of poverty.
Amy Harrison: And that Marshall Islands based definition of poverty, it presumably will give a much clearer picture of the sort of rate of poverty across the island as a whole?
GJ: Well I think that's right, one of the things I was just told in the last couple of days is that there is a move now to do a household income and expense survey which hasn't been done here in about 15 years. I live here and it's apparent to me that hardship is more noticeable and in some cases developing to be quite serious.
AH: if that income survey does go ahead, what ways can those statistics be applied to help the Marshall islands develop?
GJ: it's really important that the government and NGOs and donors and service providers understand the level of the problem and where poverty exists. The older generation of political leaders recall how life has been, going back decades, and of course 30, 40 years ago there was very little poverty in this country and it was just a totally different environment and yet people haven't updated their thinking. These more recent studies that have continued to point out hardships have been very helpful to getting a better understanding for political leaders who control the purse strings.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
