Government leaders all dressed in black last week in support of the the Malu I Fale Campaign against all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls.

This is an international campaign of advocacy and solidarity, contextualised and adopted and designed to suit with Samoa’s culture and traditions. 

The leaders of Samoa attended the Parliament dressed in black attire as a symbolic gesture of the country leader’s commitment in raising awareness in ending violence against women, girls and children in Samoa.

The Speaker of the House, Papalii Lio Masipau had made a declaration last Wednesday during the session, for all Members of Parliament to wear black attire in their next parliament sitting last Thursday and every Thursday thereafter.

Papalii said that the people of Samoa should be able to receive the message and help them in ending violence against women and girls.

“Everyone in Samoa is watching their leaders show support towards this initiative and we should all work together to eliminate these issues and strive to achieve peace for our children, family and for the women of Samoa."

The Samoan culture of love and respect is interwoven with Christian principles where love is shared and not hidden, and where respect is given regardless of age, gender, disability, wealth and social status.

This is a sign that Samoa should stand in solidarity with their leaders to say no to all forms of violence affecting women and children. To say violence is not part of Samoan culture and is against our Christian values that Samoa is founded on.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent, and devastating human rights violations in our world today. Samoa is no exception. 

It occurs in every country and in every context; women and girls suffer from emotional, sexual, physical, and other forms of violence and abuse despite the many efforts to tackle this global crisis. The Spotlight Initiative’s global data indicates that 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.