INCREASE IN FAMILY VIOLENCE IN SAMOA DURING LOCKDOWN

Apia: The Samoa Victim Support Group says it’s noticed a marked increase in family violence since the country went into lockdown six weeks ago.

Its president, Lina Chang, said women and children have in some cases been bearing the brunt of skyrocketing unemployment.

Ms Chang said she’s being run off her feet by the volume of callouts in the past month. “Our people are quite sad. They’re disappointed, they don’t know who to vent their disappointment on.”

“The families are coming together because it’s lockdown, and they look at each other and the domestic violence rises. So it’s a cycle now,” she said.