(PRESS RELEASE, BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION, APIA)- The UK is providing financial assistance to the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD) as part of the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Pacific programme, which is providing £2m in funding support across the Pacific in 2021-22.
Violence against women and girls is pervasive during normal times, however evidence suggests that this escalates in times of conflict and crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated levels of domestic violence in Samoa, with a 93% increase in GBV cases since the state of emergency orders were announced by the Samoan Government.
From 25 November to 10 December, the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development in Samoa in Partnership with the Salvation Army and Teen Challenge, will be leading the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign in Samoa through the implementation of training workshops, community awareness and media awareness programs and many other activities. The workshop ran for two days in Savaii from 6 – 7 December and in Upolu from 8 – 9 December.
This will also see the launch of the ‘Ending Violence in the Village (EVV) Project’ funded by the UK Government.
The purpose of the project is to educate, encourage and implement methods of ending GBV in the home and village. In partnership with The Salvation Army Samoa and Team Challenge, the project will be conducting three (3) workshops predominantly targeting male participants, as part of the MWCSD ‘Be the Man’ campaign which encourages men to become champions of GBV. The workshops will also incorporate Samoan cultural values, human rights and the legal processes of reporting to the police.
The British High Commission, Apia is working with the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development to raise community awareness on GBV and train community members to become equipped with the necessary skills to identify risk factors and social norms that perpetuate violence and resolve these issues so that violence in the home or community is de-escalated or avoided altogether.
British High Commissioner to Samoa, David Ward said, “Ending violence against women and girls, continues to be a top UK priority and I am delighted that we will be working with MWCSD to raise awareness on this important issue. Changing the social and cultural community norms around violence and increasing women’s status in Samoa is essential to bring about real and positive change”.
Acting CEO for Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development in Samoa, Vitoria Crichton Lalomilo said, MWCSD is pleased to partner with the UK government through the EVV project, to increase awareness and promote discussion of social and cultural norms on ending GBV in Samoa.
One in three women worldwide will experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. This significantly impacts the lives and wellbeing of girls and women, limiting them from equal participation and access to opportunities that are fundamental to both freedom and development.
