Village Family Safety Committees Pilot Project launches work plans in Savaii

Samoa’s Human Rights Institution and its partners have launched work-plans for participating villages listed under the Village Family Safety Committees Pilot Project in Savaii.

The pilot project is born out of Recommendation 20 of the National Inquiry into Family Violence 2018 Report by the Ombudsman Office.

In a recent press release, it stated that the Family Safety Study conducted by the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development (MWCSD) also highlighted that the Village Fono should be leading prevention advocacy efforts to stop family violence.

“The Village Family Safety Committee Pilot Project heavily takes on a community strength-based approach where building on the existing capacity of villagers is important and equipping them with knowledge and skills to take on this matter can, as a result, have a greater impact and will immensely contribute in assisting Village Fonos and Government with their family violence prevention efforts.”

“The Office and its partners have been working closely with six selected villages to pilot this project with approval from their Village Fonos.”

The villages of Savaii include Taga, Asau, and Saleia and Upolu include Vaiee, Lotopue, and Lalovi-Mulifanua.

The Office has been consistently engaged with these villages throughout the year in various workshops as well as in the development of each of their Strategic and Work-plans for 2020-2023.

Meanwhile, a similar project will also be launched in Upolu tomorrow.