The International campaign for Orange Day, 25th July 2015 with the theme ‘Youth in action – Orange our future: the Sustainable Development Goals and a future free from violence against women and girls’ this is the second event marked by the Correctional Service of Solomon Islands (CSSI) in Correctional facility at Rove Central Correctional Centre (RCCC) with an awareness program for (RCCC) Juvenile inmates (young offenders) age group of 13 yrs to 18 yrs who have conflict with the justice system, staff and CSSI Headquarter staff.
This month’s theme is focusing on youths and we decide to conduct this program with the young offenders at the Juvenile block at RCCC. All who took part in the morning’s activities did so to take that stand to prevent and end violence against women and girls/children of Solomon Islands.
During the day, 11 inmates attended the Orange Day 25th July 2015 Awareness Program along with 14 CSSI officers.
The program begins with a prayer by CSSI Fr. Richard Tufa, (acting Chaplin) to pray and remember the victims of violence and pray for the perpetrators to turn away and stop from committing the crime against women and girls in Solomon Islands.
Highlights of the day’s activities included explanations of what orange day is all about and why CSSI is very active and keen to participate in this activity with other external and international agencies around the world.
The awareness focus on the “16 FALE SAMTING IU SAVE DUIM FO HELP ENDIM VAELENS AGAENSTIM MERE AN GELE” initiated by the Unite Nations Secretary General’s Campaign UNITE to END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN and facilitated by CSSI Staff based 16 ways to help end violence against women and girls.
The round table discussion session designed to encourage staff and young offenders to convey their deeper thoughts on the 16 steps and to help them where they will stand to adhere in the fight to end violence against women and girls in Solomon Islands.
The Orange Day program also involved 2 juvenile who shared their understanding experience and what they had learnt as perpetrators of gender based violence serving their time in Rove Central Correctional Centre.
The two juveniles shared their own views on STEP 3: ‘BILIVIM STORI BLONG OKETA MERE WEA SEI THAT OKETA BIN REIPIM OR ABUSIM HEM. NO ASKEM HAO NA HEM ACT AND WAT NA HEM WEREM. LISIN LO WAT HEM TALEM EN NO JAJIM HEM. NO ENI MERE ASK FOR REIP EN ABUS.’
The message that the young offender shared among the group was that, “we must believe the stories of women and girls who are raped and abuse, it is very important to be reminded that every women and girls never ask for rape and abuse whenever the meet group of men or walk pass any neighbourhood.
The second young offender also discusses and shares his opinion to the group on STEP 9: LANEM OKETA SAN AND DOTA BLONG IU FO OKETA LUKSAVE DAT MAN AN MERE OKETA IKOL. TISIM OKETA MEKEM OKETA SAVE NO ENITING BOY HEN DUIM, BAE GELE HART FO DUIM. The young offender said “it is significant that parents, church leaders, community chiefs, responsible government organisations and non government organisations to teach boys and girls at their early age that they need to know and understand that they are equal.
The other steps were explained by some senior staff officers who participate during the program. The 16 Step to help end violence against women and girl is very easy to understand because it is written in Solomon Islands common language PIJIN and it is simple and can fit in village level to understand.
During the discussion Sergeant Needy Taingeia, one of the staff who facilitate the session explained why these 16 steps are focusing on women and girls, and push for everyone to support because men and boys are more muscular than women and girls they are vulnerable to what men do them and women and girls don’t have to equal opportunity in decision making and employment, and that is why we need to advocate for support for gender equality for all.
Perpetrators of Gender Based Violence against Women and Girls undergo rehabilitation programs based on Men’s Behavioural Change therapeutic approach funded under a grant CSSI was awarded through the UN Women Pacific Facility Fund grant component.
The Juvenile offenders’ rep said, on behalf of my brother inmates here in Juvenile Block we are so thankful for this type of program organised for us, this session has taught us valuable insight and will help us to help our families and communities in the future when it come to our right time to leave this centre.
For sure we do regret for the decisions that we make and we end up in here, but the rehabilitation programs that CSSI provide and we have access to has given us new hope that we still a human we can be someone great and help to build this nation for a future free of violence.
RCCC Incharge of Juvenile Block, Inspector Alison Salu gave her final notes on behalf of the RCCC Management team and Juvenile Block for the excellent work, commitment and dedication that the staff involved during the program for the juvenile inmates, I am impressed to see how the young boys are very keen to participate though they have very tight scheduled line up activities for them to attend, I am so proud of the enthusiasm they put during the session.
To Programs & Rehab team at RCCC and Programs & Industries Unit team at CSSI headquarter we will continue to support whatever activities plan and organised for RCCC Juvenile Unit inmates.
CSSI is thankful for continuous support from UN Women Pacific Facility Fund to enable CSSI to take the leading role to advocate on behalf of the victims of violence especially women and girls of Solomon Islands.
CSSI devoted further to coordinating future Orange day programs on the 25th of day of each month by continuing to create different ways of marking Orange Day and reaching out to all inmates and CSSI staff and staff families to aware of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and advocates to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
On the 25th August 2015, activities will be planned for inmates, staff and their families at the Tetere Correctional Centre the theme Orange Day is ‘Step it Up for Gender Equality and an end to violence against women and girls’.
