National inquiry into violence for Samoa

Transcript

The forceful words and intimate revelations from a young Samoan mother of three brought things into very sharp focus at one of the conference's fringe events on Family Violence in Samoa. The woman got up and spoke about what she had been subjected to only this week amid extraordinary police failures over her case. This despite new courts, family protection orders and a special unit within the police to deal with domestic violence. Earlier Samoa's Ombudsman Maiava Lulai Toma said his office was still working on the details but a nationwide enquiry into violence was necessary.

MAIAVA LULAI TOMA: We need to do this to address the impact of things on present victims, we need also to address the high tolerance of violence generally in Samoa, in Samoan life, that seems to roll on and on from generation to generation.

A recent study showed nearly half of women In Samoa aged between 15 and 49 reported some sort of abuse by their partner. The Ombudsman says a major challenge will be collecting evidence in a culturally sensitive and safe way.  

MAIAVA LULAI TOMA: We need to be mindful of not putting survivors of violence in any more danger if they decide to come forward and tell us their stories.

Justice Leilani Tuala-Warren outlined moves already made to deal with the high rates including programmes for offenders, and the Chief Justice making a stand on the issue.

JUSTICE LEILANI TUALA-WARREN: I think the devastating effects of family violence is enough to justify a move from traditional judging to an approach which means we take an interest not only in the defendant but in the victim and in trying to make their lives better.

The Ombudsman says village councils and the churches have to be brought into the act and an enquiry would help expose weaknesses in the system. The Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland encouraged countries to learn from each other on the issue.

PATRICIA SCOTLAND: The way in which it manifests itself in all of our countries is so similar it's almost identical. So wherever we are on that journey it is the same journey.

The Ombudsman says the enquiry's scope and focus will be worked out soon so it can start early next year. He says it will involve public hearings around the country.