19th June 2020 The Tonga Statistics Department today released Tonga’s first Preliminary Results for Tonga Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) which raise awareness about the vulnerability of women and children in Tonga.
MICS is the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide. It covers the largest number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators among the major international household survey programs. This is the first ever MICS for Tonga which put Tonga as the 2nd country in the Pacific to release its MICS.
CEO for Tonga Statistics Department Dr. Viliami Fifita said, “We need to know about the well-being of women and children, their education and how are they being treated.”
Dr. Fifita hoped that these preliminary results will assist government and stakeholders on their decision making.
“Policy is the foundation for adjustment, it is not rational for us to base our decision making on children and women on a small group of people but in an evidence-based data like the preliminary results released today.”
Two documents were released today which are the “Fact Sheet –Tonga MICS 2019” and an additional information on the “The situation of children and their vulnerabilities to COVID-19 in Tonga”. All results presented in this fact sheet are preliminary. The Survey Findings Report will be released soon.
The preliminary results provide timely and quality data on the situation of children which identifies where the most vulnerable live and interventions can be implemented to reach them.
The sample for the Tonga MICS 2019 was designed to provide estimates for a large number of indicators on situation of children and women at the national level, for urban and rural area for Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua and the Niuas.
Technical Support for the survey were provided by the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Pacific Community (SPC).
Present at the event were members from stakeholders including Education, Ministry of Health, Tonga Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Women’s Crisis Centre Tonga Family Health Planning and others.
ENDS
Issued by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications.