The Ministry of Women's Affairs was preparing a public relations campaign to increase awareness of the problem of domestic violence. In September 1999, a shelter for battered and abused women and their children opened in the northern part of the island, with medical and psychological counseling personnel on its staff. The home accommodates 20 persons. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem. There is no evidence of official discrimination in health care, employment, or education.
Prostitution is illegal.
The Social Welfare Division within the Ministry of Labor provides probationary and rehabilitative services to youths, day care services and social work programs to families, assistance to families wishing to adopt or foster children, and financial assistance to the six children's homes run by private organizations. Education is compulsory until the age of 16. Government social service agencies reported a further increase in the number of child abuse cases, including sexual abuse. Abused children are placed either in a government-run home or in private foster homes. Women's organizations and other nongovernmental organizations increased their public awareness efforts to recognize and combat sexual abuse of women and children.