initiatives based recommendations. on Inquiry INQUIRY FINDING 2: Physical, harsh verbal discipline/violence and sexual violence towards children has reached epidemic levels.  9 out of 10 children in Samoa experience violence in their lifetime;  Physical discipline/violence is often extreme in nature, going way beyond what is ‘reasonable punishment’ under Samoan law;  Sexual abuse of children and incest levels have reached ‘epidemic’ proportions in Samoa. INQUIRY FINDING 5: Family violence has a wide range of long-term impacts on the physical and mental well-being of its victims and those who witness it. They include:  Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, suicide and aggressive behaviours;  Greater use of alcohol and drugs, increased sexual promiscuity and multiple sexual partners;  Direct injury and even death;  Maternal health problems, including unwanted pregnancies, miscarriages and pregnancy complications;  Low self-esteem leading to health and behavioural problems;  Inter-generational violence;  Reduced future productivity and undermining national economic development. INQUIRY FINDING 10: Children subjected to violence or those who witness violence growing up are at a substantially increased risk of becoming a perpetrator or victim of family violence later in life. INQUIRY FINDING 11: Violence towards children worsens because parents falsely believe it aided their own development as children or through employing a variety of excuses for misbehaviour among the youth and fail to take responsibility for their own role. INQUIRY FINDING 12: All forms of physical and harsh verbal discipline2 are forms of violence, which directly contribute to the prevalence of family violence and indirectly by increasing the risk of a child becoming either a perpetrator or further victim later in life. RECOMMENDATION 2Definition at Info Point 6. ACTION OUTCOME IMPLEMENTATION/ RESPONSIBLE AGENCY TIMEFRAME