In the Solomon Islands

. . . and It's only a flicker In the Solomon Islands

From a Honiara correspondent

There’s not likely to be parallel legislation in the Solomon Islands against prostitution, despite occasional outcries from politicians in the legis lature—mainly for effect, it would appear—and echoes from con cerned Christians at intervals in the past few years.

There are not even remotely the organised “services” of Fiji provided in the Solomons, mind. It’s more of a handy or enjoyable sideline for a few of the educated single Melanesian girls and small groups of itinerant Polynesian women from some of the atolls and islets around the main Solomon Islands chain who like to come to the capital to see the sights and provide a giggling, quick-eyed group to be ogled themselves.

The government - financed girls’ hostel in Honiara has been a political football on several occasions in the legislature. Righteous accusations have been levelled at the girls over their morals by some politicians known more for their own interest in less-than-strictly Christian attitudes to women and alcohol.

Lurid stories of parties in the hostel were bandied about and rather explicit accusations of sexual im morality with them.

But all this was before there were public accusations of carry-ons by some politicians overseas and even in the elected members’ own hostel rooms last year, and perhaps that’s why the girls’ hostel has been left in

relative obscurity for some months.

This seems a trifling enough sub ject right now. but sexual morals, prostitution and marriage customs— or lack of them—usually provide maximum heat when they are in volved in any public debate.

The Solomons as yet has no organised prostitution to speak of, in the sense of there being bawdy houses. There have been places, which men feeling a sexual need have frequented regularly. One was in one of the superior living areas.

But tourism is still a very low-key operation in Honiara, and brings few visitors at a loose end to other smaller urban centres.

Visiting men looking for a girl— and there has been a steady trickle from Bougainville’s copper mine par ticularly—usually come with names of accommodating girls who provide sexual satisfaction along with the usual good night out at one of the two Chinese restaurants followed per haps by a film at the semi-open air Point Cruz Cinema.

Genuine romances spring, too, from these liaisons by visitors with the accommodating and other not-so accommodating girls.

Which rather takes the impact out of charges of blatant prostitution carried on by good time girls, who are often just hungry for a good wage earner as a husband and don’t see prim shyness as their way to catch him.

"Keep cut. Closed till further notice" says the board outside the Travellers' Motel, one of Suva's guesthouses.