A father and his twin sons were among the recipients of media training certificates which they say will be a way forward for them in learning and preparing for the future.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Ganasavea Manuia Tafeaga who is currently a journalist for Samoa Global News said the training and seeing his two sons improve their knowledge of the industry was a big improvement for them.

Mr. Tafeaga and his 16-year-old twin sons, Rodney Manuia and Pritchard Manuia were amongst more than 10 recipients of the media training held last week which focused on reporting on violence against women and children.

"It's a big eye opener for the both of them to remind them about the rules and policies when reporting on cases revolving around violence against women and children since they are already in the field," he said.

"Not only that, it's a really big boost for their knowledge in this significant field that their father works in as well as their own lives as boys growing up, it's really important they learn about violence and the impacts it has on our communities while they're young."

Rodney and Pritchard are currently attending Leififi College and one is working part-time the Samoa Global News while the other is also part-time for Samoa Entertainment since school is on a break.

According to Mr. Tafeaga, if everything goes to plan, it is his dream for his sons to pursue a career in media when they grow up as they already have a fair understanding of how things work given their experience as well as their participation in the training.

Meanwhile, the training according to Angharad Malama Toma, a UNESCO representative was important for educating journalists on how to cover the issue of violence in an ethical manner, especially the new and upcoming media professionals.

She said journalists have to learn how to write about specific cases so that instead of adding to the trauma experienced by survivors and the public, their reporting will raise public awareness of this social issue and increase citizens' readiness to respond to and prevent violence.

While speaking on some of the media guidelines when covering court proceedings, especially in the Family Court, Judge Sa’aga revealed the reason why a lot of cases are prohibited from being reported.

“I would like to talk about the human element that applies to all of us. People who come to court…women and girls who come to court, especially women, it’s not because this is the first time it has happened,” she said.

“It’s because they finally found the courage to go through the process. They have considered it so many times, but every time they look at their children’s eyes, every time they consider their situation, they resound to the fact that they are sacrificial lambs for the sake of everyone.

"The court has to amplify their voices and they can only do that when they are in a secure place where they can come to court and they don’t have to worry about anybody other than the person, the respondent, or the defendant.”

Therefore, she added that the media plays a vital role in being the voice not only for these victims but also for the court in telling these stories.

According to a 2018 National Public Inquiry into Family Violence almost nine in 10 Samoan women have experienced physical or emotional violence from family members, six out of 10 have experienced intimate partner violence and one in five women have been raped.