New study informs role of educational institutions in addressing and responding to domestic violence and intimate partner violence

Reverend, Minister of the Church,

Hon. Seu’ula Ioane, Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Chair of Samoa National Commission for UNESCO,

Distinguished Representatives of the Government,

Dear Colleagues & Partners,

On behalf of the United Nations family in Samoa, I welcome you all to the event that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and UNESCO are co-hosting today to present the findings of the research titled Domestic Violence and Education Institutions, which was conducted within the framework of the Spotlight Initiative.

Despite efforts deployed in recent years by the Government of Samoa and the United Nations in partnership with the civil society and the broader development cooperation community, the number of children, including age school children who are victims of forced labour and violence continues to grow.

The Demographic and Health – Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey DHS-MICS conducted in partnership with the Samoa Bureau of Statistics in 2019-2020 concluded that 90.8% of the children below 14 experienced physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the month preceding the survey, up from 86% per cent who have been punched, kicked or assaulted and 87 percent who were subjected to verbal abuse as identified in the National Family Inquiry in 2017. 

Also, the percentage of children aged 5-17 who have been involved in child labour stood at close to 14%.

The school performance of children age 7 to 14 has also returned some concerning numbers as only 45.5% was able to complete three foundational reading tasks and only 22.7% completed four foundational number tasks with even lower rates for those in the 2nd grade.

There are multiple factors influencing the school performance of our children, among which exposure to a hostile family environment and to physical punishment in schools rank high.

The protection of children from all forms of violence is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child that Samoa ratified in 1994 and by the full body of international human rights treaties and standards that Samoa is a party to.

As research led by UNICEF shows, violence remains a reality for many children around the globe – regardless of their economic and social circumstances, culture, religion or ethnicity – with both immediate and long-term consequences.

Very specifically as the research concludes:

Children who have been abused or neglected are often hampered in their development, experience learning difficulties and perform poorly at school. They may have low self-esteem and suffer from depression, which can lead, at worst, to risk behaviour and self-harm. Witnessing violence can cause similar distress. Children who grow up in a violent household or community tend to internalize that behaviour as a way of resolving disputes, repeating the pattern of violence and abuse against their own spouses and children when they become adults themselves. Beyond the tragic effects on individuals and families, violence against children carries serious economic and social costs in both lost potential and reduced productivity.

Human capitals are an important component of the national wealth of countries. Samoa’s present and future development prospects depend on the quality of its people, which unfortunately is critically affected by domestic violence, inadequate nutrition and unfinished education that early dropouts are causing.

The United Nations calls on education institutions in Samoa to protect children and educate them in the spirit of respect for human rights, inclusive and equitable communities and zero tolerance for all forms of violence with an enhanced focus on ending violence against women and girls.

The overwhelming majority of the Human Rights Council Member States at Samoa’s 3rd Universal Periodic Review earlier this month in Geneva recommended Samoa to continue efforts to end violence against women and children. Eliminating all forms of violence against vulnerable groups including women, children, persons with disabilities and others will continue to be among the highest priorities of the United Nations in Samoa through all programmes and projects that we implement.

It is therefore important to acknowledge with appreciation the valuable contributions made to the cause by our key partners in Samoa starting with the European Union whose investment in ending violence against women and children comes on multiple tracks including through the global Spotlight Initiative and the Pacific Partnership. We are equally appreciative of the increasing focus on equitable societies that other partners including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, the United States and others have adopted through bilateral and multilateral interventions.

The partnership of UNESCO with the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture (MESC) of the Government of Samoa to better understand how DV/IPV affect the lives of students, teaching and non-teaching staff and how these groups can be better supported is of high relevance to our work under the Spotlight Initiative and will give us guidance on how to reshape education towards ending domestic violence in Samoa.

As one of the organizations implementing the Spotlight programme in Samoa, UNESCO took the responsibility to assist the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture through:

1. Engaging teachers in prevention education and awareness-raising in schools;
2. Supporting students, teachers and non-teacher-staff to better address and react to domestic violence disclosure;
3. Developing prevention measures in schools through relevant policies; and;
4. Developing a clear understanding of the teacher’s role in safeguarding children through effective professional learning for school staff.

As the first of its kind, the study to be discussed today will contribute greatly to the understanding of the role of educational institutions in preventing and addressing DV/IPV in Samoa and creating safe places for children experiencing violence to access help and support.

The research undertaken will provide the baseline data to inform the design and development of training materials for a Training of Trainers to be carried out by the Ministry.

Through the European Union & United Nations joint Spotlight Initiative, the education system with the assistance of UNESCO has embarked on an important mission for Samoa to change behaviours and patterns and profoundly transform the education system to integrate rights and freedoms in the school curricula. 

In its work, UNESCO draws on other initiatives such as UNESCO’s GENIA network which supports gender equality mainstreaming in education.

As parents ourselves- educators, leaders, development professionals and alike- we carry the noble mission of raising healthy and fully-trained children for a just and safe future in the face of mounting threats including climate change, pandemic and outbreaks, resource scarcity, and irreversibly declining quality of life.

Ending domestic violence and violence in all its forms is a prerequisite for social cohesion and human progress. 

Join us during the 16 days of activism and beyond to orange the world and end this shadow pandemic of gender-based violence for which the most effective vaccine remains inclusive education and an unwavering commitment to human rights and moral values.

Causing harm to a loved one or to anyone for that matter is a crime for which we are all responsible, not only the perpetrators alone. Words are not enough to show our commitment. It is in everyone’s power to do something from speaking up to adopting policies and laws and funding services to protect women’s and children’s rights.

By showing your intolerance to any form of violence, you set a bar that people around you must never attempt to lower. Ending gender-based violence is not someone else’s obligation, it is everyone’s moral duty. That’s the only way to make it happen.

Faafetai tele lava. Soifua.