Pitcairn Islands

The British Overseas Territories (BOT’s) are a remnant of the once world-dominant British Empire. Some have no permanent inhabitants, while others are almost completely self-sustaining. Most BOT residents are British citizens, although each island has its own unique constitution and legal relationship to the UK. The UK is responsible for defense and foreign relations for all of the BOT’s.¹ These territories include, but are not limited to: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, St. Helena, South Georgia, Pitcairn Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, and the British Indian Ocean Territory. Pitcairn Island has been a British territory since its discovery in 1767. As of 2016, less than 50 inhabitants remain on the tiny island in the South Pacific. It is the British government’s most isolated territory, only accessible by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore. Fertile soil is good for agriculture, and residents are largely self-sufficient.² In the early 2000’s, government officials unearthed a horrifying child abuse scandal. Six men were convicted and jailed as serial abusers and rapists. Several years later, the former mayor was arrested and convicted for downloading thousands of child pornographic images and videos. Since then, several British and New Zealand officials have been stationed on the island in an attempt to protect residents from sexual abuse.^{3 1https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/print_sx.html 2https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/print_pc.html 3https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/11/pitcairn-child-abuse-images-mayor}