Charles Dickens said it was the best of times; it was the worst of times. That was in 19th. century England but in 21st. century Belize that much-turned phrase still applies.
At least that’s the conclusion we’ve drawn from the multiple indicator survey compiled by the Statistical Institute of Belize.
It’s got a big name, but it says a whole lot about the small details of everyday life. And those details show that while overall, Belize’s averages may not be alarming, almost uniformly they are terrible in Toledo.
Here’s more.
Jules Vasquez, reporting
The multiple indicators cluster or MICS survey went into over two thousand homes in rural and urban settings, interviewing 1,675 women between 15 and 49 years old and 800 children under 5 years old.
Glen Avilez, Director, SIB
“Regarding the survey it was conducted in a very different manner than we have become accustomed to. The field staff was divided into teams made of interviewers, a field supervisor and in some cases, a driver. Each team was equipped with a measuring scale and a measuring board to measure the weight and height of the children between 0 and 5 years of age. The treats given to children participating in the survey seemed to have made a marked difference, to the extent that some children wanted to be measured more than once.”
But they were measured for the first time and the data is compelling. For example, did you know that?
• 22.6 percent of children in the survey were stunted (too short for their age) and 1.6 per cent are wasted (too thin for their height); that children residing in rural areas are more likely to be underweight and stunted, compared to children in urban areas.
Or that,
• girls were more likely than boys to be exclusively breastfed.
And when they grow up,
• only 68.3 percent of children aged 0-17 years are living with both parents while 18.2% of children interviewed are living with their mother only, even though their father is alive
And, unto lifestyle.
31.7 per cent of the population use bottled water as their main source of drinking water. While,
• 67 percent of the rural population continue to use pit latrines or less-sanitary facilities. And Toledo residents are less likely to use improved sanitation facilities (81.6 percent) than residents in other districts.
Additionally,
• 16.5 of the households in Toledo have no sanitary facilities and use the bush or field to dispose of excreta.
And to health,
• just 39.7 percent of young women (15-24 years) have comprehensive knowledge of HIV and disturbingly, 41.4 percent of women 15-24 years had sex with a non-cohabitating partner in the 12 months prior to the survey. of those, only 49.5 percent used a condom.
Glen Avilez, Director, SIB
“Very alarming – particularly among our teenaged females. They are the future, they are core of our productive and reproductive population, and the risk that they are involved in cause great alarm of what could happen to our country if this situation goes un un-addressed.”
But there’s no social penalty for women having un protected sex, but for cheating. Well that’s another matter.
A telling statistic shows that 13.1% of women interviewed believe that a husband is justified in hitting his wife is she cheats on him, while 8.6 said it’s alright if she neglects the children, while 3.8% said its ok to lay a hand if she argues with him; 2 and half percents say it’s all right to hit, if she refused to have sex with him; and 2.1% said it’s all right is she burns the food.
Glen Avilez, Director, SIB
“It shows that we have a long way to go. It is culturally still acceptable that men are supposed to beat their women whenever they’re wrong.”
Jules Vasquez, 7News
“Even if they burn the food.”
Glen Avilez, Director, SIB
“Exactly, ahm, small percentage though, 2% saying that. But it is still an issue of concern that some of the cultural hang-ups that we have can only change by more education.”
And a lack of education also leads to deeping poverty – which this statisitician says is the core problem
Glen Avilez, Director, SIB
“And until we can address the core issues of poverty, we will continue to see some of our major indicators as they relate to women and children, showing bad for our country.”
Now policy makers - and in this election season – politicians are challenged to look at the numbers and come up with solution.
Rana flowers, UNICEF Country Representative
“A report such as this is useless unless we use the data in there, unless we ensure that the that data becomes the foundation, the grounding for our policies.”
_The entire survey is availble at the SIBwebsite and you can find a link to that at 7newsbelize.com…..
