By Netani Rika*, Majuro
Photo: supplied
*This is the first story in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.
Feature - Women continue to fight for justice, 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused devastation on the people and environment of the Marshall Islands.
And as Pacific women gathered on Majuro to discuss ways to end gender-based violence, they heard from local counterparts about a battle for justice older than many of the delegates.
Ariana Kilma, chair of the Marshall National Nuclear Commission and descendant of survivors of weapons testing, shared a story of survival, setting the backdrop for the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women.
"I am here to share with you our story. This is a story not only of suffering and loss, but also of strength, unity, and unwavering commitment to justice,'' Kilner told delegates from across the region.
"The conference theme "an pilinlin koba komman lometo" (a collection of droplets creates an ocean" reflects the efforts of the many Marshallese women before me, and together, we call on you, our Pacific sisters and brothers, to stand united in our commitment to justice, healing, and a brighter future for the Pacific.''
The triennial will focus on three specific areas - climate change, gender-based violence, and the health of women and girls.
Containment of nuclear waste in the Marshall Islands. Photo: Supplied
Marshall Islands President, Dr Hilda Heine, acknowledged that nothing less than a collective, regional effort was needed to effectively address the three issues at the centre of the regional conference.
"Our gender equality journey calls on Pacific leadership to be intentional, innovative and bold in our responses to the gaps that we see in our efforts," Heine said.
"We must take risks, create new partnerships, and be unwavering in our commitment to bring about substantive gender equality for the region.''
In the area of gender equality, young Marshallese women like Kilner are forging pathways to ensure that justice is done, even if the battle for restitution takes another 70 years. In a bold, innovative move, women of the Marshall Islands have taken their cry to the World Council of Churches and the United Nations.
"Marshallese women have shown remarkable resilience and leadership," Kilma said.
"From the early days of testing, they raised their voices against the injustices inflicted upon our people. They documented health issues, collected evidence, and demanded accountability.''
The current story of Marshallese women began in the aftermath of World War II when the group of atolls in the Northern Pacific was selected as ground zero for a nuclear weapon testing program.
This was the beginning of a profound and painful chapter which continues today.
"The people of Bikini and later Enewetak were displaced from their home islands in order for the tests to commence,'' Kilner said.
"For a period of 12 years, between 1946 and 1958, 67 nuclear tests were conducted in our islands, including the infamous Bravo test on Bikini Atoll in 1954. Despite a petition from the Marshallese to cease the experiments, the testing continued for another four years with 55 more detonations.''
Hundreds of people marched in Majuro, capital of the Marshall Islands, on March 1 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, including Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko (left center) and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna (next to Kaneko). Photo: Wilmer Joel.
Immediately after the Bravo test, people fell ill - their skin itching and peeling, eyes hurting, stomachs churning with pain, heads split by migraines and fingernails changing colour because of nuclear fallout.
It was not long before women gave birth to what have been described jellyfish babies.
"So deformed, [were our] babies sometimes born resembling the features of an octopus or the intestines of a turtle, in some instances, a bunch of grapes or a strange looking animal," Kilner told delegates at the regional forum this week.
"The term jellyfish babies was coined after the birth of many babies who were born without limbs or a head, whose skin was so transparent their mothers saw their tiny hearts beating within. We were told by those scientists that our babies were a result of incest.''
Despite a 2004 study by the United States National Cancer Institute which concluded that the Marshallese could expect an estimated 530 "excess" cancers, half of which had yet to be detected, the US has made no move towards reparation for the islanders.
The study showed that the fallout resulted in elevated cancer risks, with women being disproportionately affected.
Twenty years after the study, the Marshall Islands continues to fight for justice, women at the forefront of the struggle, just as they have been since 1 March, 1954.
If anyone has the resilience to fight for justice, it is the Marshallese women.
*Netani Rika is a veteran Pacific journalist. He is in Majuro, Marshall Islands, covering the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women.