Prompted by a spate of suicides by young people, Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI), Idelta Maria Rodrigues, has said strong family rule is key to controlling the day-to-day activities of family members. 
SE Rodrigues said problems occur when there is nofamily rule, and people can go out wherever they like, eventually leading them to lose their livesas a result of their own behavior.
“The family should have rules; do not say today is modern. (Do not say) ‘wherever you go I do not need to know’.Parents have the responsibilityto know who the boy or girl is going out with and where they go,” she said in Kaikoli, Dili.
The Secretary of State said she was also concernedby youths from the districtswho came to Dili and chose not to stay with family, and instead, choose to stay in rented rooms, which she said was a risky decision.
Women’s Parliamentary Group (GMPTL) president Member of Parliament (MP) JosefaAlvares Pereira called on the women’s organization to share information with other women about personal security.
“But I think we cannot have specific security measures for women because all citizens have an equal rights in regard to security,” MP Pereira said.
She said violations occurred due to the factthe Communitarian Police and the Intelligence Police did not operate properly,leading to the weak implementation of laws within the country.
“So people utilize the weakness to violate other people rights,” she said.
