The National Council of Women (N.C.W.) says it is time for community action, not awareness-raising, on tackling domestic violence against women and children across Samoa. 

Secretary-General and Treasurer Pamela Petana-Su’a said women’s committees need to get stuck into the dirty work of violence prevention and leave “awareness-raising” workshops behind. 

The N.C.W. has spent the last six days delivering what they hope will be a transformational workshop, guiding representatives from village women’s committees on interventions and counseling to effect change in their homes.

Ms. Petana-Su’a said 85 women from eight villages have taken part and next week the council goes to Savaii for a four-day session doing the same thing, thanks to funding from the United Nations and the European Union’s Spotlight Initiative. 

They have come from Siumu, Saaga, Lotofaga, Vavau, Tatitoala, Faleapuna, Vailele and Samatau. In Savaii the villages represented are Siutu, Satupaitea, Taga, Sapapalii, Safotu, Lano, Saipipi and Asaga.

“We hope it works,” she said.

“Fiame gave the challenge: how is it that we have worked so long to stop the violence and yet it seems to have escalated, there is still so much violence.

“So that’s the real challenge for the National Council of Women.”

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is President of the N.C.W.

The workshop design was supported by Palantina Toelupe, former chief executive officer of the Ministry of Health. 

Ms. Petana-Sua said after this week’s workshop, the women are expected to return to their villages and transmit what they learned to their wider women’s committees, who should collectively take up arms against violence in their communities.

“Not every woman can speak out, [she] may be afraid. We’re trying to break the cycle.”

That means going out and finding victims of violence, she said and intervening somehow to protect them. Whether it is through counseling, medical support, or direct police intervention, the most important thing is to get involved, she said.

“We both feel, Palantina and I, that they should be ready after all this training, we are way past awareness programmes,” Ms. Petana-Su’a said.

“They are now ready to go out and do the dirty work, or at least they should. Find the victims and see what sort of help you can offer. Everyone needs some support, somehow.”

She said one woman told the group she left her first husband because he became too violent, and now is happily remarried to someone else.

Having been through the experience she said she feels equipped to go out and help other women. 

But the N.C.W. is also interested in turning its attention to men, and working with men to directly intervene in ending the routine violence against their female family members. 

Ms. Petana-Su’a said there was a successful project in 2015 working with men, specifically young untitled men, who connected deeply with the topic.

They wrote songs and poetry about violence and the need to stop it, which she said was very moving. 

“When we did those community conversations, we used the traditional methods. Each committee composed their own song, skit, a Samoan dance," she said. 

“Out of 41 villages, half managed to get the young untitled men to compose a song against violence.

“There was another village where women weren’t allowed to hold matai titles, and the young men asked can they please allow women to hold titles. It was really lovely.

“We still hope. Maybe in time we will do some workshops with the men too.”