Tears streamed down the face of 15-year-old Scholastica Vaiema Selesitila as she recalled the pain of domestic abuse, the theme in her blue ribbon-winning short story in the Samoa Observer Tusitala Short Story Competition.

The Saint Mary's College Year 13 student's story is called "Seek for Help." Scholastica believes her story captures the reality of what some families in Samoa are going through. It is a story that is personal to her as she too endured violence at home.

Her message is simple, "Speak out against violence." She feels that many families mostly women suffer violence and never speak out allowing the cycle of violence to continue.

"The story I wrote for this ompetition is a cry for help. It tells of what living in an abusive home is like," she said almost breaking down.

"My dad would come home drunk and he would beat up my mom. Then it would be me and my sister.

"I tried many times to ask my mother to call the police but she was afraid of my dad. And as an older sister, I knew I had to do something to protect her and my sister from this abusive environment. 

"One night, it happened again, and we ran to the nearest church where we met a priest. The priest called the police, and he was locked away and never came back to hurt us again. We are living a happy and peaceful life, after we have put away the reason for our sorrows."

The trauma of the violence can be felt in the emotions of the young writer. She said her story was an avenue for her to tell what had happened to her.

She hopes to encourage those who are living with abusers or are being abused to make a stand and seek help. She wants victims of abusive homes to understand that there is no harm in seeking help. 

She spoke of how emotions would take over when she tried to narrate her story.

"Basically I wrote this story because there are families, not only my family to whom this thing is happening. I'm just doing this to help families who are suffering from this issue. This story also reminds that if I grow up, and have a family of my own, I would not let what happen to me happen again."