Transcript
TAGALOATELE PEGGY FAIRBAIRN-DUNLOP: What was surprising to me I think if I was just to come through and not to prioritise was number one, I think the people of Samoa had a vision of what they want from life and it is certainly a non-violent life. So a lot of recommendations were pointed at violence between families and in villages. That was another strategy. So they have a vision but at the same time there was this feeling that the old feelings and old family life and old values and beliefs of the fa'asamoa family systems had been weakened considerably and it was time to go back to these and rethink them and to relearn them through talking more and communicating with children, and teenagers. Just to go back to the old ways, if that was possible. Relearn. Rethink. Family lotu in the evenings. But the big thing about that was actually listening to children and listening to youth and adults and parents actually listening to them and to each other.
SARA VUI-TALITU: Did Christianity or religion come up a lot in the testimonies?
TF: Yes there were.... well in two ways both positive and negative. People spoke of the pressures of church in terms of faalavelaves and things they needed to and wanted to provide for the church and sometimes that caused economic pressures on the household. And also on the other hand, I’m going to talk now about the perpetuators of violence, that through faith and spiritual inspiration they had actually turned around and changed their ways.
SV: What are your views in terms of public health in relation to domestic violence?
TF: Well that was interesting because one major finding for me was that there are so many programmes going on that actually they touch on violence in many forms. eg sexual violence, physical violence, emotional violence, economic violence. But there is no one sort of co-ordinating agency where you build on and go forward. There are a lot of little interventions with no follow ups or tracking so you get a concerted drive, which was the aim of the Human Rights Commission. One of the recommendations coming through very strongly for one remit was that this should be under the health department, the whole thing of physical and health. It should be under the health remit so the department focuses on medical and we know that those services for mental and those kinds of factors are very short in every Pacific country. So one remit said this should be located strongly within the health department because domestic violence or family violence or family wellbeing or security actually needs one co-ordinating agency that doesn't control but at least knows what is going on, and secondly, an agency that gives a pretty uniform message as to what family violence is, of watching, listening and being subject to these kinds of behaviours. And that is what they learn isn't it? And then they often perpetuate this in their own life.
SV :In relation to having that respect for the women in your family and those sorts of attitudes - have they changed so much to the point where men don't view women... or rather genders...just don't seem to value each other like in the old days?
TF: You have hit the crux of it. It is really the going back to looking at relationships but also looking at relationships in changing times. And going back to that respect of male to female and female to male. And male and female recognising that males and females have different experiences, knowledge and strengths and that they have those. Overall it is going back to the, I guess, faamatai which is predominantly male as you know and one of the key discussions that needs to be a re-thinking of the term and role of matai and ulu or head. Re-examining those terms that even if the matai or male or ulu, or head of a family, it does not equate to total control over the female or over females and what they do. Nor does it mean that women feel they should be controlled by males are the things central to human rights is that everybody has a right to be protected from violence and to be able to make choices.
SV: And it is such a global issue isn't it, given there is currently a #METOO campaign at the moment?
That said it all. One of the comments made said by someone there was a view that it was almost putting the blame back on women, that it was on how women dressed and little girls were so seductive in their own behaviour. People need to take responsibility for their behaviour and their own choices and not to keep blaming it on someone else. Use the words, physical violence or use the words, sexual violence - and don't cover them up with polite Samoan words.
