Family in Solomon Islands

The 2019 Census counted 720,956 people, 131,566 private households and 926 non-private dwellings, giving an average of about 5.5 people per private household. The National Children’s Policy 2023–2028 states that children make up more than 40% of the population. Family support therefore commonly involves relatives, household members, community elders, churches and NGOs alongside government services. Solomon Islands has no identified universal family one-stop service or universal family benefit, and public provision remains fragmented across islands. Family relationships may arise through blood, adoption, marriage, custom or a domestic relationship. A de facto spouse is a partner in a domestic relationship without a formal marriage. The Family Protection Act covers spouses, de facto spouses, children, grandchildren, step-relations, in-laws, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and some household or family-like relationships. Its domestic relationship framework also covers shared parenting, engagement or courtship, customary relationships, intimate relationships of any duration and domestic workers. Recognition for protection does not mean that every relationship has identical status in every area of law. Under the Islanders’ Marriage Act, a formal marriage takes place before a minister of religion or a District Registrar. Formal marriage normally requires at least 21 days’ notice and a ceremony between 21 days and three months after notice, with at least two witnesses. A person below 18 generally needs written consent from the father, or where applicable the mother, guardian or court. The formal process sets a minimum age of 15. Bigamy can carry a prison sentence of up to five years. The listed fees include $2 for notice, $2 for a certified copy and $2 for a register extract, but travel and access costs depend on the island and province. A customary marriage is a marriage formed under local custom. It may be registered voluntarily with a District Registrar, and registration gives it the divorce-law status of a marriage under the Act. A registered customary marriage can therefore have different consequences from an unregistered customary relationship. Birth registration should be completed as soon as reasonably practicable. Where a health professional attended the birth, the medical practitioner or nurse normally reports it; otherwise the father reports it, followed where necessary by the mother. The record includes the child’s name, sex and place of birth and the parents’ names and address. Civil Registration and the Registrar are central to this process. Local proof may involve a health-facility record, baptismal certificate or statutory declaration, and the birth form allows legal, customary and de facto parental status to be recorded. The reviewed sources do not establish a reliable nationwide official fee for birth or death registration. Death should also be reported as soon as reasonably practicable. A health professional or, for a church burial, the church minister may report it. If neither can do so, the spouse, oldest surviving adult child, parent or oldest adult sibling may have that role. The record may include the deceased person’s residence, place of death, known cause of death and place of burial. A civil record helps prove family status and supports inheritance or other care and support transitions, while church and customary burial practices remain practically significant. No national survivor payment or standardized bereavement or elder-care service was established in the reviewed sources. Adoption requires a High Court adoption order under the Adoption Act 2004. The child must be under 18. An applicant is generally a parent, a relative aged at least 21 or another applicant aged at least 25, subject to consent, guardian and social-welfare review. The relevant local authority is the Provincial Executive or Honiara Municipal Authority, and the Adoption Register is maintained through the Registrar General. The Act does not remove customary adoption practices. Inter-country adoption requires additional reports and Social Welfare Officer involvement and restricts certain transfers and payments. Reliable official figures for adoption costs and processing times were not established. The Child and Family Welfare Act 2017 came into force on 14 September 2022. It provides a framework for children in need of care or protection, family counselling, casework and referrals. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services, or MHMS, leads implementation through its Social Welfare Division, working with the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, the Public Solicitor’s Office, schools, churches, NGOs and community elders. In 2024, 17 Social Welfare Officers were reported nationally, so geography and staffing can limit response capacity. Reproductive and child health, family planning, community-based rehabilitation, mental health and social welfare services are available through sectoral pathways, but access varies by location. The Family Protection Act 2014 treats physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse as domestic violence, whether it is one act or a pattern. Police can issue a Safety Notice for up to 21 days and, in the permitted circumstances, extend it once for up to another 21 days. A Magistrates’ Court or authorised justice can make a Protection Order that may restrict contact, approach, residence or weapons and may address removal from a home, access to property, temporary custody or access to children and temporary maintenance. Police must investigate, explain rights and connect affected people with a place of safety, counselling, medical care and legal services. Health providers should arrange examination and referral and report a child protection concern to a Social Welfare Officer or the police. Maintenance and separation matters usually go to a Magistrates’ Court or local court. Under the Affiliation, Separation and Maintenance Act, an affiliation claim can be made before birth and generally within three years after birth, with a special period where the alleged parent is overseas. A court may order periodic payments or a lump sum for maintenance and education, birth or funeral expenses and legal costs. Courts can decide custody and access, and an application may be made by a Social Welfare Officer or Provincial Secretary. Child maintenance generally continues until age 16, with possible extension for education or special circumstances. A married spouse may also seek separation, spouse maintenance, child maintenance, custody and access orders. Enforcement depends on income, evidence, court access and the distance between islands. Registered customary marriages may be dissolved under the Islanders’ Divorce Act. There is no identified national child or family allowance, national care allowance or separate elder-care payment in the reviewed official sources. Households, relatives, communities, churches, NGOs and sector-specific services therefore often carry the practical burden of care, including during poverty, climate shocks or other emergencies. The Family Affairs Division, Children’s Development Division, Social Welfare Division, community elders and local service providers may all be relevant depending on the issue, but their roles and availability differ by place. A family matter should be matched to the correct pathway: the Registrar for civil records, a District Registrar for marriage registration, the High Court for adoption, social welfare or child-protection services for care concerns, police or a Magistrates’ Court for violence, and a Magistrates’ or local court for maintenance and separation.