Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) will join other stakeholders to kick start the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence against women and girls in Honiara on 25 November with a float parade through the capital stopping at various locations for awareness talks.
The campaign will start at Henderson Police Station and continue into the city as far as White River in West Honiara.
The national theme for this year’s campaign is “Together we can end violence against women and girls through education.”
RSIPF Director of National Community Policing, Superintendent Solomon Sisimia says, “My officers will be participating in the float parade and will join in the awareness talks at various hot spot areas in the city on issues including the Family Protection Act to explain the role of the police in the implementation of the Act.”
“Since the coming into effect of the Family Protection Act in April 2016, the RSIPF has certainly seen an increase in the number of family violence cases reported to the police. Despite this increase, we believe there are more cases happening without being reported. We want to use this 16-day campaign to encourage women and girls as well as men who have been victims of gender-based violence to come forward and file a report with their nearest police station,” says Superintendent Sisimia.
Meanwhile, RSIPF Commissioner, Matthew Varley says, “as we begin the 16 days of activism about violence against women and girls, and violence against the community, we say and the Police Force say, enough is enough. No longer will we tolerate violence against women and girls in this country.”