A non-government organisation has held a two-day workshop for young women, in a bid to create a safe space for them to talk about sexuality and related topics including teen pregnancy and domestic violence.

The Samoa Family Health Association (S.F.H.A.) held the workshop last Friday and Saturday at the Taumeasina Island Resort with discussions revolving around issues that are currently affecting that demographic of youth.

The workshop is part of a program to educate the youth on pressing issues that they face every day and may have no knowledge in. The workshop sought to provide a deeper insight on the subject of sexuality, to help young people particularly women understand the factors that relate to sexuality. 

The participants represented organisations such as the Samoa Victim Support Group, Samoa Red Cross, Brown Girl Woke, Teen Challenge, Nuanuaa O Le Alofa, the National University of Samoa: Peer-Initiative, SFHA youth volunteers and the School of nursing.

The program’s purpose was to explore sexuality by developing healthy conversations around issues such as identity crisis, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, suicide, gender roles and sexually transmitted diseases.

The workshop's facilitators were of the view that educating young women on the subject would reap better results than just providing them with ways to avoid these factors. The workshop's program also hosted guest speakers who were able to share on some of their experiences on the subject. 

Dr Salote Siaosi, a medical doctor who specialises in women and children health-care, talked about the importance of creating healthy conversations for young women so that these issues can be discussed comfortably while also providing accurate information on issues that are not openly discussed due to traditional values and cultural beliefs.

In the hopes of creating healthier conversations, the workshop facilitators hope it will equip Samoa's young women and girls with the necessary knowledge to handle and address social issues that trouble the youth of Samoan society. 

With the assurance of knowing the consequence of their decisions, the workshop's facilitators hope that they are able to decide for themselves in all situations.

The S.F.H.A. has over the years advocated using the strategy of distributing contraceptives, mainly condoms and pamphlets as well as provide training to help reduce the increase in the number of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases within Samoa.