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Gov names five members to domestic violence advisory council

Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
reporterss@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In an Oct. 1st memorandum, Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga appointed five local residents to the American Samoa Advisory Council on Domestic and Family Violence.

“No one deserves to be a victim. We, as a community, must pool resources to support the Council and other stakeholders in our community and protect and aid potential victims and survivors of family violence,” the governor said.

Lemanu said the appointments to the council, is pursuant to local law and after consulting with public and private agencies that provide programs for victims of domestic or family violence, advocates for victims, and persons who have demonstrated expertise and experience in providing services to victims of domestic and family violence and their children.

Appointed to the Advisory Council are:

•        Dr. Salilo Julia Fo’ifua — Drug and Alcohol program director at the Health Department;

•        Jennifer Tofaeono — executive director of the American Samoa Alliance against Domestic & Sexual Violence

•        M. Sott Hess — executive director of the American Samoa Legal Aid

•        Pa’ulia Pa’o-Pelenato — assistant director of the Department of Human and Social Service, Children and Family Services Division

•        Farrah Sefo — victim’s advocate at the Department of Legal Affairs.

According to the governor’s memo, the Advisory Council is charged with advocating awareness of family violence, promoting identification and intervention in family violence and other duties as assigned in local statute - A.S.C.A. 47.0801.

The appointments came at the same time that the governor issued a proclamation designating October 2021 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month — which he says calls American Samoa’s attention to the fact that domestic violence is widespread and has a physical and mental impact on all of its people, families, and community.

“It remains a critical problem within the territory,” he said.

Lemanu points out that the “principles of fa’aSamoa do not condone acts of violence against family members or anyone, instead our fa’aSamoa should be our guide which prevention and intervention approaches are addressed with key concept such as sacred spaces of covenantal relationships between family members, respect where behavior and language honors sacred spaces in relationships, family where sacred spaces are preserved and protected and selfless love.”

He declared, “We ask the community to discard the belief that violence is part of our Samoan culture. We ask the community to commit to learning the focus of the fa’aSamoa to strengthen families.”

“We ask the community to be part of the solution and help support our community by sharing their stories and knowledge through the ‘le talanoa’ — conversation. We ask the community to move away from violence and embrace practices that will help us to THRIVE,” the governor.

He urged “all of American Samoa to stand firm in condemning domestic violence and supporting survivors in finding the safety and recovery they need and to support and trust in the efforts of first responders and service providers to hold perpetrators accountable and protect victims and communities.”