A recent study on the state of the territory’s children painted a grim picture throughout the Virgin Islands, but even more so for those living on St. Croix.
The "Kids Count" study was presented to members of several community groups on St. Croix Tuesday at a meeting organized by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, which has compiled the "Kids Count Data Book." The book, the first of its kind, will be published in the Virgin Islands so human services professionals and community groups can attack the myriad of challenges facing the territory’s children, said Dee Baecher-Brown, CFVI executive director.
Overall, the study’s findings were startling. Some 41 percent of Virgin Islands children live in "dire" poverty, it found, below the federal standard of $16,000 per year for a family of four.
Other findings:
– 44 percent of Virgin Islands children live in single-family households, compared to a 27 percent national average.
– 27 percent of V.I. children do not live with either parent. There was no comparable breakdown for the U.S.
— 22 percent of V.I. children age 16 to 19 are school dropouts. Nationally the figure is 10 percent.
Locally, as in most of the categories in the study, St. Croix had the dubious honor of leading the way. In 1997 on the Big Island, 47 percent of children under the age of 18 lived in a household with an income of less than $16,000 a year. On St. Thomas, about 41 percent of the children lived in poverty, while on St. John it was 35 percent.
St. Croix again led the way in infant mortality, with 14 deaths per 1,000 live births. In the St. Thomas-St. John district, the figure was seven deaths per 1,000 births. According to the Kids Count study, infant mortality is closely linked to poverty, poor living conditions and a lack of preventive health care during pregnancy, inadequate nutrition and low birth weight.
The study also found that in 1995, 348 children on St. Croix were referred for abuse or neglect. The number was 171 in the St. Thomas-St. John district. For 1997, the number decreased to 152 cases in both districts.
Violent juvenile crimes on St. Croix in 1997 totaled 28; 23 on St. Thomas-St. John. The category monitors the number of arrests of youths between the ages of 10 and 17 for crimes such as homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Economic well-being in 1994 was highest on St. John, with a median family income of approximately $45,000, and lowest on St. Croix, at approximately $23,000. The median family income on St. Thomas in 1994 was approximately $31,000.
In 1996, the figures were $38,000, $26,000 and $32,000 respectively.
John deJongh Jr., president of CFVI's board, attributed St. Croix’s poor showing to its economy, which is even more troubled than the territory’s as a whole.
"I think the economic situation on St. Croix, particularly the shrinking private sector, lends to explaining the numbers," he said.
DeJongh, who was chairman and co-chairman of the governor's Five-Year Economic Recovery Plan and the Cruise Ship Task Forces, respectively, said there was a direct correlation between the territory’s shrinking economy and the Kids Count statistics.
Alda Monsanto, CFVI’s second vice president, said it took three years to compile the data in the book. Although the information wasn’t intended to be "feel-good," she said, it was not meant to scare people either.
"It wasn’t meant to frighten. We want the kind of fright that makes you want to change," said Monsanto. "Every one of these numbers – every one – diminishes . . . the life of the community."
For more information or to obtain a copy of the report, call Dee Baecher-Brown at 340-774-6031 or e-mail dbrowncfvi@worldnet.att.net.
