Shame on us leaders: 18-year-old girl sentenced for killing 2 babies

Dear Editor,

The news item got to the front page, showing off 'a mere 18 year old girl is capable to kill her own babies'.

Does it make you sit up and wonder why it should happen to yet another teenage girl?

Do you believe now that someone of trust can have sexual relationship with their own daughter?? (he is with the girl's mother - olsem kastom fasin - hemya hemi papa blong gel ya).

Can you believe that this girl can do that ALONE - or with the help of this man?

I am angry that, in a lot of situations this story - people will say “Hey be istap happen longtaem finis ikam ya!

But no one did anything about it! In many circumstances we do not want to deal with or do with any problems or we blame the girl!

We hope the problem will go away!! Where are the uncles of the girl ? Were they surprised to see their niece get pregnant? What about the man's family, did they think about anything at all?

What about his parent, his uncle, aunty, sisters, friends, church leader, custom chief, his member of Parliament?

This story is one of many stories that young girls (and women) have to put up with in their life time. The girl is a victim of male power and control. The power and control that male relatives or male people in power over their family abuse their female relatives. A young girl, (as in this circumstances) would be raped by her male relatives - because she would know that her mother is with this man; she would have been forced by the step father to have sex . It shows that Female are not respected by their male folks. This man would threaten the wife (mother of the girl) not to 'open her mouth'; similarly he would threaten the girl to keep secret and not tell anyone - not even her OWN mother about the acts and relationship. The man keeps both women 'under his authority/control'. In this story the father of the two babies was the 18 year old girl's step father. This father had no respect for 2 females, first the woman - supposedly his wife/partner and the other is the 18 year old girl - supposedly she would have respect for him as a male in her family that would provide protection, security, respect and love for her because her mother is his partner! Alas it has not been that way.

The correction centre has already 3 or 4 of these young girls who have thrown away their babies or dumped them. The father of the babies of these other girls have not been punished - there may also be male relatives who have abused their power and control over their female relatives. Will the leaders ever recognise this huge gender inequality that fronts up daily in women's lives. All leaders in our societies are male, so is this the way forward in Vanuatu to ignore these huge family abuses?? They will not go away if we do not address them. Do we care about our women and the future mothers of this country?
Vanuatu should not be given another MCC funding by the US Government, due to these revelation of Gender Inequality, abuse on girls and women.

Vanuatu is not serious about promoting Gender Equality though CEDAW was ratified in 1995 and CRC in 1993. Women are seriously abused and not enough is done to protect them. The 18 year old girls have a limited span of time to enjoy the MCC donated roads, it is important to them to be protected from abuse and for them to enjoy life. They only have ONE LIFE. Would the Prime Minister agree that this girl will not enjoy the benefits of the MCC roads - because she is in jail and the government has turned a real blind eye on her protection. For the sake of the girl child and young girls who are and will be abused; don't ask for the second MCC fund, these girls will continue to be abused and the girls will be in jail. That will leave only leaders to use the roads and not the young girls (who are the future leaders). Not until leaders do something.

Merilyn Tahi
Port-Vila