WUNRN
August 25, 2007
BY RALPH SAO
The drastic rise in reported cases
of domestic violence has prompted calls from the Solomon Islands National
Council of Women (NCW) for the tougher laws against domestic violence.
The
General Secretary of the NCW, Ella Kauhue, said that domestic violence cannot
be decreased unless the Government sends a clear message through the enactment
of strong laws against domestic violence. "The cooperation from
communities and individuals to combat this issue has gone beyond our control
and unfortunately women themselves cannot do anything to combat this
problem," said Kauhue.
The Women's Division Acting Director, Janet Tuhaika, said that their Division
totally condemned domestic violence and other forms of abuses against women
saying husbands cannot use provocation as an excuse to hurt their partner.
Mrs. Tuhaika said that there are huge socio-economic pressures faced by
families today, particularly in the more urban setting. "Life today is
more challenging and more expensive and as such there are competing
socio-economic issues to deal with, which can lead to frustrations within the
family and marriage," Mrs. Tuhaika said. "But there is no excuse when
a husband chooses to abuse their partner".
Police told the National Express that reports of domestic violence have now
featured prominently in their weekly crime reports. Police says that while some
incidents of domestic violence can be sorted out quickly, some have been very
serious.
In a recent incident, a housewife received cuts to her head after her husband
attacked her with a glass cup after what the police described as small
argument.
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