Marshall Islands Student Survey Finds High Levels Of Incest
17 Mar 2009
17 Mar 2009
A survey reveals that one in five students in the Marshall Islands has been raped by a relative.
The Ministry of Health on Ebeye conducted the survey of about three hundred high school students for the US Compact of Free Association quarterly report.
Editor of the Marshall Islands Journal, Giff Johnson, told Pacific Beat, the actual number of Marshall Islands' student rape victims could be higher, as many cases go unreported.
"Interestingly it was both boys and girls reporting this and my feeling about a survey like that you would assume problem behaviours would be under-reported," he said.
"So if one in five students are saying they were forced to have sex by a relative it's probably actually more than what is in the survey."
The Ministry of Health on Ebeye conducted the survey of about three hundred high school students for the US Compact of Free Association quarterly report.
Editor of the Marshall Islands Journal, Giff Johnson, told Pacific Beat, the actual number of Marshall Islands' student rape victims could be higher, as many cases go unreported.
"Interestingly it was both boys and girls reporting this and my feeling about a survey like that you would assume problem behaviours would be under-reported," he said.
"So if one in five students are saying they were forced to have sex by a relative it's probably actually more than what is in the survey."
