POLICE in Milne Bay are concerned about the number of sexual offences mostly involving children that are being suppressed by family members.
Milne Bay is the second province this week to raise concern over sex offences against children. Police in Lae this week also raised their concern over the rise in the number of sex-related cases involving children.
Milne Bay police commander Chief Supt Joseph Morehari said many sexual offences were not reported to police.
He blamed this on the reluctance of family members to report them because they feared losing breadwinners.
“Cases of child abuse, sexual abuse and domestic violence, mainly against women and young children, have gone unreported to police in the province and I am concerned about the issue,” he said.
“Last week, I sent a group of police officers from Alotau to Rabaraba, on the north coast, and they returned with eight cases of incest.”
Morehari said every week there was at least one case of rape reported to police while others were suppressed.
The National/Pacific Flash