A cabinet minister says the future of Solomon Islands is bleak because foreign habits are eating into the social fabric of communities.
050514. Photo supplied. Pacific flags. Solomons flags Photo: supplied
The Minister of Health and Medical Services, Tautai Kaitu'u, made this claim in parliament while presenting the Child and Family Welfare Bill.
He said child abuse, neglect and exploitation are growing problems affecting all of society.
Dr Kaitu'u said the Child and Family Welfare bill is the result of a series of research reports.
These include 'Protect Me with Love and Care', which focusses on a future free from violence, abuse and exploitation of girls and boys, 'the Family Health and Safety Survey' and another report called 'the Commercial Exploitation of Children in Solomon Islands'.
He said the country needs to deal head on with the breakdown of traditional family support structures, tensions between traditional values and western ways, the impact of logging in remote areas and the rising numbers of children separated from their families for education.
