Australia Network News. Topic: Prostitution. A national forum on violence against women in Solomon Islands has heard poverty is forcing girls as young as 13 into prostitution. Police say it is an increasing problem around logging camps in Makira, Malaita and Isabel islands. Sister Doreen, who runs Honiara's only women's shelter, the Christian Care Centre, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program that the money available in prostitution was often too much for families to resist.
Sister Doreen says high rates of incest and sexual abuse at home can force girls out onto the streets. Many girls carry a guilty conscience from sexual abuse that happens at home, Sister Doreen says. Sister Doreen says while police can often catch those who use child prostitutes in Honiara, rural areas are more difficult.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Australia Network News Poverty forcing Solomons girls into prostitution. Footer ABC News homepage.
