Police in Solomon Islands say all cases of domestic violence will now be referred to the courts.
The officer in charge of the Police Domestic Violence Unit, Florence Taro, says they want to discourage domestic violence, which is on the increase.
Ms Taro told the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation that domestic violence is a serious crime which brings suffering to women and children.
She says every member of society has a duty to report any incidents of domestic violence to the police.
Ms Taro says police will not repeat the mistakes of the past when a good number of domestic violence cases were withdrawn before reaching the courts.
