Reality check on violence

At some point questions needed to be asked on the broader impact of family violence on Samoa and the economy.

In the article Family violence costs Samoa $100 million yearly, on Tuesday, Minister of Women Leota Laki Sio made reference to a Samoa Family Safety Study, in 2010, which showed that 46% of women had experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. ‘‘The same study was redone in 2017 and it showed that this figure has escalated to 60%,’’ he said.

‘‘The economic costs of family violence are estimated to be between $98 million and $132 million, which is approximately 6 to 7% of our GDP . . . The data also shows that the majority of the violence cases or incidents occur in the home.’’

How much loss in production can you quantify after a husband assaulted his wife, resulting in her not being at the market selling produce? How many key performance indicators for an employee will not get signed simply because a female became the victim of violence perpetrated by her boyfriend or husband?

So what’s it to be after 60 years of independence and being sworn adherents of the fa’asamoa that professes alofa (love), tautua (service) and fa’aaloalo (respect) among other values?

To continue to turn a blind eye to this scourge will be a disincentive to our journey as a people and a nation.