I read with great interest about the series of arrests conducted by the local police force with their PPF counterparts and Quarantine over the past weeks in what they coded "operation clean harbour". Again they have done a great job last week by arresting another young female teenager in one of the foreign fishing vessels. Thus, I for one fully support the operation carried out by the threeios as this sends out a strong warning to other young females that the police will no longer tolarate such illegal activities of operating on our shores. Further more, they will not hesitate to question and prosecute them if they are found guilty.

However, the question I want to ask here is, what is really attracting those young female teenagers to those foriegn fishing vessels?. I think the obvious answer any one can ever think of is " money" from the Asians in return for sexual pleasures besides other factors. If thats the case, it is justifiable because of the hardships and fiinancial constraints couple with the rising food and fuel prices affecting many of the families in Honiara today. If this is the case , may I called on the national government and other NGO groups to develop some strategic measures to counter the present underlying problems affecting our young females today.

Its sad to hear and see this kinds of illegal activities involving our young female teenagers being allowed to oparate as there seems no one is responsible for addressing their concerns. To you the National counsel of women who represents the voices of women in solomon islands, play your part and seek other possible assistence from other stakeholders to address this underlying problems affecting our future women. Moreover, failure to do something now to help our young females will only see more arrests in the coming months and years.