‘Safe haven’ not coping

HONIARA – A safe haven for victims of domestic violence in Solomon Islands is struggling to cope with the number of victims turning up at their doorstep.

The director of the Christian Care Centre, Ruth Hope, says more than 500 women, girls and children are under their care, the highest ever recorded at the centre.

As the country observes 16 days of activism against gender based violence, Sister Hope told the Solomon Star newspaper she believes ending violence is a community responsibility.

Sister Hope says the national government also has a crucial role to play in ending the violence.

The 2007 Solomon Islands Family Health and Safety Study revealed that two out of every three women will experience violence from a relative or intimate partner within their lifetime.

Similar figures are reflected across the Pacific but the director general of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community says given the culture of silence around domestic violence in the region, he believes these are conservative estimates and the actual situation is much worse.

- RNZI