MISS Coral Sea Resort and Casino Sharllyma Aruhane vows to take a strong stand on ending the rising problem of gender-based violence in the country.
Speaking to Solomon Star in an interview, she said the MSIP platform is an avenue where young girls like her can advocate on issues that are critically affecting the lives of women and girls today.
“Therefore, I am more focused on gender-based violence, specifically on ending domestic violence,” she said.
The 20-year-old said domestic violence is a rising problem in the country affecting about 64 percent of the women population and it places Solomon Islands as one of the countries with the highest rate of domestic violence in the world.
“I realize that domestic violence is an issue and this has motivated me to join the pageant to advocate for the addressing of this issue.
As a young woman, Aruhane is driven by a fiery passion to help other women and girls.
“I have a passion to help other young girls and women realize their worth. We can help address this social issue by continuing to raise awareness in schools and making domestic violence as a subject in the national school curriculum so that students can learn on the subject and find solutions since they are the next generation of leaders,” she remarked.
Hailing from East Are’Are in Malaita Province and Simbo in the Western Province, Aruhane is a first-year law student at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and is the second in a family of three siblings.
The Contestant Number 6 (#6) said she wants to be the voice of the voiceless women who cannot break the silence in the issue of domestic violence and she is very passionate about shedding light on it.
“I would be the very first one in my family to ever contest in the Miss Solomon Islands Pageant,” she said proudly.
When asked what the theme for this year’s pageant “Women Empowerment for Sustainable Development.” meant to her, Ms Aruhane said, “we can empower women in different ways. We can empower women with education, helping them marketing their products and raising more awareness on women’s health.
“I think if we want to have a sustainable future for our women, we must make sure that we include them in everything that we do at all levels of decision-making in the country and make sure they have equal opportunity just like the men. Women must be given equal access to services, educational opportunities, employment and leadership roles institutions. When women are empowered, we will see positive development in our society.”
Ms Aruhane said if she won the Miss Solomon Islands Crown, she would continue with her advocacy on ending domestic violence, apart from advocating on other pressing national issues and will build a network with key stakeholders to actually address these issues.
When asked what message does she have for other young women in the country. Ms Aruhane said they should focus on doing what they are good at to sustain themselves, while those who are in school should concentrate on their education and work towards achieving their dream career.
“I would like to encourage them to use their skills and talents to build themselves a sustainable future,” she added.
Ms Aruhane’s participation in the pageant was inspired by her mother Esther. Ms Aruhane looks up to her mother as her ‘role model.’
“My role mother is my own mother. She is hardworking. She has gone through a lot of struggles but she never let her struggles show to her children. She kept it all to herself,” she remarked with a beaming smile.
“As I grew older, I started realizing what she went through and regarded her as a strong woman. I want to have her qualities,” Ms Aruhane added.
Ms Aruhane acknowledged her fans and supporters, especially her sponsor, which is the Coral Sea Resort and Casino Hotel, for their support.
The crowning night is set for tomorrow at the Pacific Crown Hotel. The program will commence at 6pm and continue till late night.
According to a United States 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, gender-based violence, including rape and domestic abuse, remains a serious problem in Solomon Islands.
Furthermore, the 2021 UN Women Report states that 63.5 percent of women would experience physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Among the reasons cited for failure to report abuses are pressure from male relatives, fear of reprisals, feelings of shame and cultural taboos on discussing such matter.
By RAYMOND HULANGA
Solomon Star, Honiara
