WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

The Solomon Islands is a nation in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. Together they cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres (10,965 sq mi). The capital is Honiara. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands

_____________________________________________________________

SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN

ESCALATING RAPE CASES - CALL FOR INTERVENTIONS

TELEPHONE: 27529

EMAIL: sincw@solomon.com.sb

Media Statement:

The Solomon Islands National Council of Women is concern about the escalation of rape cases among its women population in this country especially in and around Honiara. The Council is appealing to women and young girls to ensure that they are safe if they are out at night or in the early hours of the morning.

Isolated areas around some of the night clubs are havens for criminal activities to take place. These are places where women and young girls can often be sexually violated and brutally attacked. It is most frightening because such violent and brutal attacks that happens to women and young girls often also happens so close to home.

“Whilst it is important that women act to keep themselves safe, it is indeed a sad reflection on society that this is even necessary in the first place.  Every woman has the right to feel safe in public places and should not have to feel threatened or that she has to keep herself safe.”

Women and young girls have become targets of rape by men perpetrators who have no sense of respect for cultural values and for humanity. These are criminals who have formed as Gangsters whose purpose only is to carryout criminal activities such as rape, murder and burglary in suburbs of Honiara.

These evil activities can also generate remorse and hatred among different Island groups living in Honiara and the settlements. The Council appeals to relevant authorities such as the Government, Police and Leaders within communities to find better ways to effectively address these issues or else it will destroy the process to building peaceful relations within many diverse communities in Honiara.

There is need to strengthen Community Policing initiatives in areas where there are problems especially on weekends and near nightclubs would help the communities to work with the police to make their areas safe and this could attract more people to be part of community policing. People in the community that are still not part of the Community Policing will become so disturbed at what they see coming out of those nightclubs that they themselves will campaign the relevant authorities to get them shut down like the Twin Towers one at Town ground.

Women in Honiara, we do need to have the capacity to speak out effectively and widely when terrible things happen, but also to work together in the interim to make sure that there are active campaigns in place in our neighborhoods to combat growing gang problems and drinking, and the rapes and other violence that erupt from the increase in alcohol abuse, kwaso, and marijuana use.

Honiara city has a critical and a very serious issue on its hands and it must find effective ways of addressing it and to make this city much safer for its women population. Women and young girls have the rights to live in an environment that is free from any form of violence.

Mean while the Solomon Islands National Council of Women has commended the work of the Solomon Islands Police Force under the leadership of the Deputy Police Commissioner Mr. Peter Marshal for the closing down of the Twin Tower Night Club at Town ground. This is a step forward and it should give a clear and a strong message to people who are operating illegally as night club owners that such operation cannot be tolerated.

The Solomon Islands National Council of Women thanked organizations such as SPC Solomon Islands and Christian Care Centre for their concern by supporting the Council in making such a statement.

Ella Kauhue

General Secretary

================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.