THE newly elected President of the Malaita Provincial Council of Women, Rebecca Awa has condemned the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in Malaita Province this week.
According to a police, a 20-year-old male who works as a crew on a public transport service allegedly raped the girl at Kwailabesi in North Malaita.
The victim was dropped off around 7pm and was walking home along a bush track when the horrific incident occurred.
In her statement of condemnation, Mrs Awa said such acts of violence against young girls are unacceptable in any society and must be stopped.
She urged all women leaders to unite in the fight against these egregious practices within communities.
“We do not want violence like this to happen in our community and families,” Mrs Awa emphasized.
“We must continue to work together to combat this kind of violence in our society,” she added.
Police said the victim was referred to Kilufii Hospital after the rape incident.
Police attempted to apprehend the suspect at his home, but he fled by the time they arrived.
“This is a serious offense and the suspect will be charged as soon as he is caught,” police stated.
Police appealed to relatives, friends and community members who may know of the suspect’s whereabouts to come forward with information.
“For a safer Malaita, we all need to work together to remove individuals who threaten our community’s safety,” police said.
By SOLOMON LOFANA
Solomon Star, Auki
