Office of the Ombudsman, Samoa‘s National Human Rights Institution
Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child – September 2015
violence disaggregated by sex, age, region (urban/rural), and
relationship between victim and perpetrator.
Recommendation 4: The NHRI recommends that the Samoan
Government withdraw its current reservation under Article 28 of the
Convention.
Recommendation 5: That the Samoan Government assist in reducing
the incidental costs of education so that primary education in Samoa
can be completely free.
Recommendation 6: That the Samoan Government continue to
implement its National Policy on Disability as well as increase disability
training for teachers in government schools.
Recommendation 7: That the Samoan Government engage with UN
partners to implement CSE in accordance with UNFPA‘s Operational
Guidance in order to empower young people to protect their health,
wellbeing and dignity.
Recommendation 8: The Samoan Government, in consultation with the
NHRI, UNFPA and UNAIDS, should launch comprehensive public
health campaigns around safe sex, in particular addressing increased
understanding and acceptance of condom and contraceptive use at
political, religious and traditional leadership levels.
Recommendation 9: To promote attitudinal change in the community,
the Samoan Government expand its Mothers and Daughters
programme to become nationwide and consider a similar programme
for fathers and sons in order to combat negative social and cultural
attitudes towards teenage pregnancy.
Recommendation 10: The Samoan Government should foster improved
teacher and student acceptance of pregnant students, and encourage
pregnant girls to remain in school or provide alternative options for
them to continue their schooling while pregnant as well as once they
become mothers through an outreach and education campaign.
Recommendation 11: Corporal punishment in the family and community
should be addressed both through awareness raising and legislative
reform: The Samoan Government should be supported in their
continued efforts to advocate for zero tolerance of corporal punishment
at the village level combined with further awareness-raising activities; .
Recommendation 12: The Samoan Government support SVSG so that
it can adequately provide counselling and support services for victims
of sexual assault, domestic violence and incest. However, the
responsibility for providing such services falls directly within the role of
the state. The Samoan Government should allocate resources from its
annual budget to adequately perform this role, either to be provided
directly to SVSG to enhance its services to meet the high demand or to
establish a public counselling clinic for victims of such abuse.
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