The Samoa Victim Support Group President is hopeful the Torch of Peace campaign will boost community awareness and unite the country to end all forms of violence affecting the most vulnerable.

The SVSG President Siliniu Lina Chang acknowledged the progress that is being made by the Samoa government as well as the development partners, churches, village communities, schools and civil society organisations to end violence. 

“For SVSG, our Saving Lives mission has been a challenging but very blessed journey over the last 18 years," said Siliniu. “The lives we have saved, the mentality and behaviour we have influenced, and the families that we have reunited, speaks volumes of the progress we have made together as a nation, as a family.

“I therefore call upon all our families and friends closer to town to join us on Monday morning, to uplift this peaceful campaign to the God almighty in prayer.”

The Torch of Peace ceremony starting at 5.30 am on Monday in front of the SVSG main office in Apia will mark the official start of its journey around the nation. The UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Alioona Niculita, will deliver the keynote address for the official lighting of the Torch of Peace event.

Church leaders are leading the ceremony and are the first Torch of Peace bearers, according to Siliniu, who will then pass it together with its peace messages to the government, diplomatic corps, development partners and community leaders. It will rest in nine village communities in Upolu and Savai'i during the 10-day journey.

The Torch of Peace is a united campaign to end all forms of violence, in particular, violence against women and children. It is an activity implemented by the SVSG with funding support from the UNDP Samoa Spotlight Initiative. 

A State of Human Rights Report released by Samoa's National Human Rights Institution/Ombudsman in June 2018 released its findings: almost 9 in 10 people in Samoa have experienced physical or emotional violence within the family in their lifetime; the majority of women (6 out of 10) in Samoa experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime and; about 9 out of 10 children in Samoa experience violence in their lifetime.