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by pltm
(PLTM) - Families in the British Virgin Islands are living a very high standard life, despite not having the income to sustain it. This was put forward in a report on the Territory, formulated by UNICEF, who further noted that these persons are maintaining a "fake social-economic status".
On the matter of persons being underemployed in the Territory, in low paying jobs, the report stated that based on qualitative evidence, families who struggle to match their salary to their expenses, have a relatively high standard of living.
Following interviews conducted by the body, it was noted that these families, who generate little income monthly, are decked out with modern day luxuries.
“These families have Cable TV, a car and modern phones,” UNICEF reported, adding, “They live in a situation where any extra expense would push them over their monthly budget.”
This behavior was dubbed by locals as "British Virgin Islands pride", the report said.
“Due to pride, the families prefer to maintain a fake socio-economic status rather than ask for support.”
High Prices
UNICEF went on to note another troubling issue of locals and residents having to pay very high prices for good and services.
“The Territory has been targeting high income tourists that can afford to pay high prices for consumption products, however, the local population has to pay the same prices as tourists do,” reads an excerpt from the report.
On the matter of food, the report further noted, “Prices are high in the peak tourist season since there is a need for local businesses to accumulate profits to sustain their living in the non-peak season, but they remain high in the low season because the demand is not great enough to guarantee that imports of food and other goods happen in quantities that sustain low prices.”
This was identified to have negative impacts on families, as they are now forced to buy cheap food, that are also low in nutrition.
“Where food prices are high and the earnings of the local population are low, families cope by buying cheap not-so-nutritious food such as noodles, and there are increasing obesity issues among the population.”
This issue also affects the livelihood of a child, according to the report, who noted that it forces some families to cut down on their expenses, such as the lunch that their child(ren) take to school.
“In meetings with children from primary and secondary education, the majority mentioned that they knew someone who had not gone to school at least once in the previous month, because they did not have money for their lunch or could not bring lunch from home. They all acknowledged that some families do not have enough money to provide lunch.”
