A call has been made by the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) to parents and elders of the family to be mindful when dealing with sensitive matters involving children and refrain from violence when disciplining.

SVSG is now upping its counselling programme after the latest incident in which a 15-year-old girl almost lost her life from a self-inflicted incident.

President of SVSG, Siliniu Lina Chang, confirmed that the girl is now under their care after she was referred to them by members of her family.

Siliniu said the SVSG provides counselling to all teenage girls who are under their care, which is why they are pushing for more because of this latest incident.

Siliniu said the issue relates to an incident involving the girl's parents and her. She said there were some similar cases SVSG has dealt with, with a few of the victims now being accommodated at SVSG's Campus of Hope.

"It's sad to see that most of these serious incidents are caused within families, relationships between parents and young girls," she said.

"The answer is not disowning your child or abuse, the answer is understanding the roots of the problems they are facing and sharing thoughts."

This teenager will be placed under rehabilitation programmes and offered counselling for a better way forward.

More than 30 teenage girls are currently under the SVSG care and are victims of child abuse, sexual abuse, and some were disowned and abandoned by their own parents and families.

Siliniu said their helpine is available 24 hours a day. The number to call is 800-7874 and it's free to call anytime to share whatever problem people are facing. The helpline is not restricted to women and girls.

SVSG has also encountered a growing number of calls from men.