Running head: Birth control awareness in the rmi

Birth Control Awareness in the RMI

Jenice Bukida
Majuro Cooperative School

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Abstract

This paper investigates the hardships the community goes through in life when poverty
and teen pregnancy go hand in hand. The chances of lowering the teen pregnancy rate are low
because of the presence of poverty. If we, the people of the Marshall Islands, could eliminate the
key factors of poverty this paper lists down, then we could put a stop to poverty. Overpopulation,
one of the main factors of poverty, could be stopped if there was more birth control awareness. If
people are more educated about birth control, there would likely be a good chance that most
teens would stay abstinent after being taught the responsibilities they would get if they were
sexually active. Birth control can prevent the teen pregnancy rates from rising, which is why it is
important to teach the community about birth control in order to avoid teen pregnancy and
poverty.

Birth control awareness in the rmi

Birth Control Awareness in the RMI

At the start of the year, we were given a yearlong task to choose a challenging project
that will benefit and serve our community, in a way that will sustain our interests and stretch our
abilities to learn new things. I chose birth control awareness because the RMI has the highest
teen pregnancy rate in the Pacific (Johnson, 2014) and it is an issue that should not be put aside.
Birth control is a method to avoid unplanned pregnancies. 85 out of 1,000 teenage girls are
getting pregnant in the Marshall Islands (Zessler, 2014). Teens in the Marshall Islands need to be
educated about their reproductive health first in order for the teen pregnancy rate to decrease.
Organizations such as Women United Together in the RMI (WUTMI), Youth to Youth in Health,
and Family Planning are open to the community so the community can have access of
information about sex, violence, family problems, and gender role stereotypes. The community
can also have access to contraceptives in these three places.
The purpose of this research paper is to find a solution that will help reduce the teen
pregnancy rate in Majuro and to figure out how I can reach out to the teenagers here. During the
past few months of long hours of research, I learned that birth control itself would not solve even
half the problem. I had to dig into the problem, and ask myself a myriad of questions, for
example: What causes teen pregnancy? When did teen pregnancy start? When did it become an
issue? These three questions brought me to the root of the problem poverty.

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The Problem

Teenage pregnancy has become an issue in the RMI since the year of 2005 (Johnson,
2014); this issue is obviously being ignored and not dealt with by the government. Teen
pregnancy did not become an issue until 2005 when the Ministry of Health realized that the teen

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pregnancy rate was rising higher and higher, to the point where it was getting out of hand.

Birth control awareness in the rmi

(http://image.slidesharecdn.com/speaker2-140624214454-phpapp02/95/thematictopic-1-making-healthy-choices-speaker-2-12-638.jpg?cb=1403646365, date retrieved:

11/09/15)

Urbanization in the Marshall Islands is the cause of high rates of unemployment,

violence, juvenile crimes, substance abuse, suicide, and the females of the Marshall Islands are in
high risks of getting sexually abused (Ali, 2006). When teen pregnancy and poverty go hand in
hand, the aspects of life living in the urban areas of the Pacific will be hard.
When teens get pregnant, it results in teens dropping out of school and that affects not
only their lives, but also their children. Usually when the mother drops out, the mother cannot
support her baby financially or physically. If she cannot support her child financially or
physically, the child is then neglected. Neglecting a child can affect the child mentally and
physically. Mentally, the child can experience anxiety, depression, isolating him or herself from

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society, struggling in school, interacting with peers, and lack of sleep (Stien, 2015). You can tell
when a child is neglected when a child has poor hygiene, lack of supervision and shelter, and
lack of nutrition (Stien, 2015). In the outer islands, people live in extreme poverty because they
live in the rural areas where urbanization does not occur (Ali, 2006). The people living in the
outer islands have limited access to health and education services, and because of that, the people
are heavily depending on money, which causes poverty (Ali, 2006). Because of poverty, it is
predicted that there will be higher rates of substance abuse among the males, which contributes
to child neglect and child abuse, or sexual abuse among the females. A child who is neglected by
their parents is more likely to become abusive. A child who is neglected by their parents is
predicted to be abusive by 21% when the child grows up (Picker, 2015).

Even though child abuse is not tolerated by the government in the Marshall Islands,
parents still do it anyways. In the Marshall Islands, the parents of every child thinks disciplining
their children physically is considered a good parenting method (Ali, 2006). Child abuse and
neglect is still happening because public awareness of childrens rights is still low, and that
contributes to poverty.
Gender Inequality
Almost all females in the Marshall Islands was raised to think they are second-class
citizens because of our culture. Because females are viewed as second-class citizens, the men are
taking advantage of that. The females are taught to keep their opinions to themselves and to
never question a mans authority (Ali, 2006). Violence against the females of the Marshall
Islands is so pervasive that it is normal for the females to get physically, sexually, or mentally
abused on a daily basis. The society teaches the males that if a female agrees to hang out with a

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male without the presence of another male from the females side of the family to protect her, it
means that the female agrees to have sex (Ali, 2006). The males do not see it as rape; they might
say something like, She asked for it, for example. As ashamed as the female already feels, she
will not tell anyone about the rape because that would be an act of disrespect towards the males,
which is not tolerated in the culture. The females become so vulnerable to suffering acts of
violence and they get too scared to speak up for themselves. Because the females are not
speaking up, this results to higher risks of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of women (Ali,
2006). The way every girl in the Pacific was raised to believe that they have little value
contributes to gender inequality, which is also a key factor to poverty.
Unemployment
The unemployment rate in the Marshall Islands since 2006 is up by 36% (Countries of
the World, 2014). The government noted that there are only 85 jobs available in Majuro, when
there are 3,189 people who are looking for jobs to support themselves and their families
(Leonard, 2005). Most Marshallese people usually go to Arkansas to look for jobs; the
Marshallese people call Springdale the land of opportunity (Leonard, 2005). The problem here
is that the Marshallese people have to go to another state to get a job. The citizens here cannot
live off of $2.00 an hour, which is the minimum wage here, to support themselves and their
family, especially those who do not have a type of degree.
During the 1950s, the United States did their Bravo nuclear testing here in the Marshall
Islands, Bikini Atoll to be specific. The bombings led to a lot of deaths caused by radiation, and
it still affects us Marshallese people today. The Bikinians cannot even live in their land because it
has been contaminated. The radiation also spread out to the islands near Bikini: Rongelap,
Utdrik, and Enewetak, due to the wind. The bomb survivors today have many health issues; the

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mothers who are affected by radiation can experience several miscarriages, deformed babies,
babies who grow up and become physically handicapped, and babies who are born with no faces,
legs, or arms (Ishtar, 2015). Other survivors experience thyroid cancer. The US has found 36
types of cancer in the people who were affected by the radiation (Ishtar, 2015). The US and the
Marshall Islands made a compact called the Compact of Free Association, which states that the
US takes full responsibility for the bombings and they would do anything to help those people
who were affected by the nuclear radiation (Ishtar, 2015). The US agreed to welcome any
Marshallese citizen to live in the US without having a visa, and Marshallese citizens who want to
join the army have a higher chance to get in the army than any other race (Bureau of Public
Affairs, 2015). The US also gives $70,000 to the Marshall Islands per year until 2023, which is
when the compact will end (Bureau of Public Affairs, 2015). The problem is what will happen
after 2023? If the US stops supporting us, will we be in great danger? Will we be able to support
ourselves without the help of the US? If the compact ends, then that will too be a huge factor to
poverty, for there will be people who will be struggling financially because they have been taken
care of all their lives.
Imported Foods
Another problem in the Marshall Islands that contributes to poverty is the dependence of
imported foods. Ever since World War II and the nuclear bombing in Bikini, the US has imported
canned foods into the Marshall Islands (Ingrid Ahlgren, 2014). Today, the Marshallese people
favor eating white rice and canned foods such as tuna, corned beef, and beef stew and other
unhealthy food because that is all they have been ever eating in their lives and it is affordable.
People who come from the outer islands catch fish and then they go to Majuro to trade it in for
canned goods. On a daily basis, you could see little children eating uncooked ramen, and adults

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drinking coffee. Eating all these unhealthy foods leads to non-communicable diseases such as
diabetes for example. It is scary knowing that, in the Marshall Islands, one out of three women
has diabetes and one out of four for men (Miller, 2011). Diabetes can lead to stroke and heart
disease, which is what 80% of the people in the islands have been dying from (Miller, 2011). It is
almost impossible to grow local foods in the urbanized parts of Majuro because it is too
overcrowded. When there are local foods available, they sell it at an expensive price because the
sellers are trying to get money for they are struggling too. High rates of unemployment, the $2
wage, and the expensive costs of the imported foods makes it hard for the average Marshallese
citizen to eat a healthy meal.
Substance Abuse
Where urbanization occurs, there is always substance abuse involved. People drink
alcohol if they are stressed, peer pressured, mourning over a loved ones loss, when they are
depressed, or they do it just because they want to do it. Substance abuse leads to suicide as
mentioned above, depression, crimes, violence, unwanted pregnancy, and communicable
diseases, especially sexually transmitted diseases (Government of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, 2003). In the 1990s, this organization called the National Council of Churches tried to
ban alcohol from the country with 1,000 signatures in their petition, but it was unsuccessful
(Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 2003). Alcohol is the most used drug in the
Marshall Islands.
Pollution
Because of urbanization, there are more issues of contaminated water sources, pollution
of coastal areas and shorelines, contaminated groundwater, and overpopulation (SPREP, 2015).
Local foods in the islands are biodegradable so pollution was not a big issue long time ago, when

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there were not any plastic wastes in the Marshall Islands. Now that we have plastics and
imported foods such as canned goods, which are not biodegradable, it has become a big problem.
Pollution in our ocean and coral destruction are what most the people here should be concerned
most concerned about, since most of our natural resources are from the ocean. One of the reasons
why the corals are dying is because of dredging. Near the airport, you will see those huge
dredging machines removing the corals in order to build the new road. The other reason why
corals are dying is because of boat anchoring. If an anchor hits a coral, the corals tissues get
damaged and then it dies (The Nature Conservancy, 2015). Pollution in the water is caused by
those grave sites near the oceans, pig or chicken pens, people dumping their foods in the ocean,
and oil spills. Public awareness on pollution is very poor, and that is why people keep on doing
what they are doing; they do not know about the effects.
Contamination
Because people live so close together due to overpopulation, there is contamination in the
groundwater. The outer islands usually gets their drinking water from rain catchments or tanks,
which are not safe (Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 2003). Most patients
from the outer islands were diagnosed with diarrhea because of drinking unclean water. The
sanitation there is also bad because 58% of the houses in the outer islands do not have toilet
facilities, and they defecate (Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 2003).
In a developing country like the Marshall Islands, there are a lot of people who are
uneducated about pregnancy; teenagers getting unwanted pregnancies contribute to
overpopulation. People are also uneducated about the effects of overpopulation. The Earth can
only provide us humans with a limited amount of foods and water, and if we go over the limit,
then there will not be enough resources to support us all (Be Green. Stay Green., 2015). With

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that being said, overpopulation can lead to hunger as well. Overpopulation also contributes to the
rise of unemployment. There are not enough jobs to support the overpopulated population, and
people would do anything to try to survive, so it leads to crimes such as stealing. Because of
overpopulation, the prices are getting higher, which makes it more difficult for those who are
living in poverty to support their families.
The country faces many developmental challenges such as these factors discussed above
that all contribute to poverty. The three main root problems to poverty are overpopulation,
imported foods, and teen pregnancy. It is almost impossible to get rid of poverty when this
country is still developing, but these issues can be solved step by step.

The Solution
The first big issue in this country is overpopulation. Raising awareness among the
community about birth control can be a solution to overpopulation. If more people were on birth
control, there would be less babies being born. Educating the community about safe sex and the
use of contraceptives can totally avoid people from getting unwanted pregnancies, especially at
an early age. In this country, these families are big, and maybe we could limit the number of
children a family could have. The limit could be no more than three children; after a mothers
third child, we could either have the mother or the father sterilized, which is a method done on a
person to prevent them from having any more babies, that way no more babies could be born.
Another solution to overpopulation might be lowering taxes. For example, if a family has
more than one child, their taxes should be lower because the family would be paying more than a
person who does not have children. It would be a big help to those families living in poverty, and
they might even afford enough food to support themselves.

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Educating kids about sex at an early age is also another way to solve the issue. Most
parents might be uncomfortable talking to their children about sex, so the child gets incomplete
information about sex from their peers or from the social media. Because the child is
misinformed, the child might then become sexually active and is very likely to get an unwanted
pregnancy. Last year as a junior, my global health class taught the Majuro Middle School about
sex, and as we read the surveys we made for them, they learned a lot. Because it was a peer to
peer lesson, the students were not shy to ask questions. If it was an adult teaching the students,
the students said they would have been scared to ask questions. If peers continue to teach other, I
think the teens would understand better and be more careful when it comes to sex. It is very
important for children to know about sex because it could help prevent teen pregnancy, getting
STDs, and have healthy lives.

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Imported foods are also a big factor to poverty. Ever since World War II and the nuclear
bombings in Bikini, the US has been importing canned foods. Today, people always choose to
eat canned foods instead of local foods.

(http://cdn2.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2014/06/AhlgrenTable12.jpg, date retrieved: 11/19/15)

If more people could eat local foods, then diabetes would not be a problem here. The
local stores have lowered the prices of the local foods so people could actually buy them and
lower the chances of diabetes. Exercise is also very important. If people were educated about
how important exercise is, then people will do it. The members of the wellness center should
have an island wide exercise event at Delap Park every month. Once the community knows
about how important exercise is, they could do it themselves at home.

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The rates of teen pregnancy in the Marshall Islands have skyrocketed over the past
century. The teen pregnancy rate can be lowered if we educate the teenagers about sexual
abstinence. When students are taught about sexual abstinence, there might be a good chance that
many of them will remain virgins than those who did not get educated about sexual abstinence. If
teenagers are more educated about sexual abstinence, they are likely to stay sexually abstinent.
Its very important to teach students about the responsibilities of being sexually active so they
could choose to remain abstinent.
Educating students about birth control is another solution to reducing the teen pregnancy
rate. If a teen realizes that they cannot remain abstinent, using contraceptives is an effective way
to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Most teens usually start being sexually around the ages of 15-24
in the Pacific (UNFPA, 2013). The family planning has five contraceptives available: IUDs,
Depo-Provera shot, the tube, the pills, and condoms. These contraceptives are also available in
certain schools.

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