More than 70 plus pastors and elders train on how to identify and deal with trauma in Makira-Ulawa province

Officers of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) in Kirakira, Makira-Ulawa Province, recently have trained more than 70 pastors and elders of the South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC) around the island on how to identify and deal with trauma.

The training is part of the continued rollout of the RSIPF Crime Prevention Strategy (CPS) in the province.

This training helps the pastors and elders to identify trauma and how to deal with trauma in their communities, as they were the first responders to domestic violence (DV) in the communities in terms of basic counselling before further referrals.

Domestic violence is one of the main drivers of crime, along with others such as alcohol, drugs, issues affecting youths, resources and environment, and emerging issues.

The pastors’ and elders’ workshop were organized by the SSEC head office in Kirakira to bring together all pastors around the province for discipleship training.

Team leader (TL) Sergeant (Sgt) Audrey Suhata, in his presentation, reiterated that church leaders have a big responsibility to perform, and this responsibility must not be ignored.

TL Suhata said,

“Our communities have put all their trust and confidence in you as initial responders to the DV chain of referrals in terms of advice and counselling in the rural areas.

Head of the SSEC church region, Makira-Ulawa Province, Reverend Pastor Gabriel Surare thanked the police team for the training. It really helps the pastors and elders to value their mandated roles and responsibilities in their communities.

Pastor Surare also assured the police that his pastors and elders around the province will