Urgent Need For Investment In Programmes Against Violent Discipline: Nauru’s First-Ever Nationwide MICS

Nauru, 13 November 2024 – The Nauru Bureau of Statistics officially launched Nauru’s first ever Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2023 results today to support the Government in providing reliable data to measure progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The first-ever Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for Nauru offers valuable insights into the well-being of women and children in the country. This is especially important given that national data has been limited or unavailable, which has hindered effective decision-making and planning,” said Nauru Bureau of Statistics’ Officer-in-Charge, Ramrakha Detenamo.

“With this new evidence at hand, policymakers will be better equipped to mobilise resources and provide support to address the challenges faced by our most vulnerable populations. Additionally, this data will help us report our progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Nauru Sustainable Development Strategy 2030.”

The Survey findings indicate considerable national progress in terms of safeguarding the interests and wellbeing of the people living in Nauru.

A staggering 99 per cent of children under 5 in Nauru have had their births registered. This is the highest coverage rate in the Pacific compared with the other six MICS reports published so far in the region, including Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Fiji, and Vanuatu.

Nauru is also extremely close to achieving its Sustainable Development Goal target on reducing child mortality to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births, with the survey currently indicating 26.

Furthermore, almost every child born in Nauru is delivered in a healthcare institution, with 99 per cent of deliveries occurring in such settings and 98 per cent attended by skilled health personnel. To add, child labour in Nauru is virtually non-existent.

However, the Survey also reveals areas for further investment.

81 per cent of children in Nauru aged between 1 and 14 have experienced violent discipline, where caregivers used either physical punishment or psychological aggression to discipline children.

As well as the physical harm this can cause, stress associated with violence in early childhood can permanently impair healthy brain growth with lifelong impacts on cognitive and social development.

“I would like to congratulate the Government of Nauru on achieving a major milestone with this MICS – a first for the country,” said UNICEF Pacific Representative, Jonathan Veitch. “While excellent progress has been made in important areas of child development, rates of violence against children in the Pacific, including Nauru, remain among the highest in the world and is evidenced in all the countries in the region where MICS has been conducted so far. Laws protecting children need to be enacted to ensure that children can maximize their chances to reach their full potential in the future.”

The Government of Nauru and UNICEF call for an urgent need to adjust policy and programme settings to reflect the areas of improvement showed by the data. Development actors must invest in programmes that protect women and children at community level across the country.

The Nauru MICS 2023, led by the Nauru Bureau of Statistics, is funded by the Government of New Zealand, with additional financial and technical support provided by UNICEF and the Government of Nauru. Technical support was also provided by the United Nations Population Fund and The Pacific Community (SPC).

Note:

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)

MICS is an international household survey programme developed and supported by UNICEF and partners, designed to collect estimates of key indicators that are used to assess the situation of a country’s population, particularly the children and women.

It is the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on children worldwide and covers the largest number of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators among the major international household survey programmes.

Over the past 75 years, UNICEF has played a leading role in highlighting progress as well as inequities in the realization of children’s rights through these MICS surveys.

Since its inception more than 300 MICS surveys have been implemented in 120 countries globally, including 8 (now with Nauru) here in the Pacific region.

The Nauru MICS 2023 include data on child mortality, health, nutrition, education, child protection, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene. There are many indicators that are being produced for the first-time, including drinking water quality, learning skills of children and child functioning.

About the Nauru Bureau of Statistics

We currently have a small office with six permanent staff. As mandated by its act, the bureau is responsible for collecting, compiling, and reporting official statistics information to local authorities, development partners, researchers, and the public who need it for their purposes.

For more information about the Nauru Bureau of Statistics and its work, see our official website: Nauru Bureau of Statistics.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

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