Office of the Ombudsman, Samoa‘s National Human Rights Institution Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child – September 2015 offences affecting children.‖74 Since the establishment of the House of Hope, SVSG has housed over 100 children who have been victims of incest. 75 67. It is likely that incest is much more widespread. However, it often goes unreported due to its taboo nature and the fear and shame that is felt by victims.76 Looking at the broader issue of violence against women and girls, the Survey found that only 25% of participants who had witnessed such violence reported it. In Samoa, the issue of family reputation plays a role in underreporting, which can silence the victim and protect the perpetrator.77 Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that where reporting of such issues goes through the village fono (village council) the result may be action against the person or family reporting rather than against the perpetrator.78 68. The Survey indicated that young children are not aware of where to report child abuse or incest,79 which indicates a lack of awareness of the laws already in place to support victims. For example, the Family Safety Act 2013 (FSA) issues protection orders from perpetrators of domestic violence, including in instances of sexual abuse and incest, but there is limited public knowledge of this law with victims of domestic violence often unaware of how to seek protection under the FSA. Further, while the FSA provides for protection orders for victims, it does not protect those who report abuse but who are not victims themselves. The NHRI‘s focus group consultations for the SHRR found this contributes to the low rates of reporting of domestic violence. 69. Another aspect is the inadequate structures in place to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and incest. There is currently only one NGO – SVSG – that offers assistance in such cases and they are severely underresourced to provide the requisite level of support, counselling services and shelter that is needed. Nevertheless, SVSG provides significant support thanks to dedicated volunteers and staff constantly going above and beyond the course of duty.80 Recommendation 12: That 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. 74 SLRC, Child Protection Legislation Report 2013, available at: http://www.samoalawreform.gov.ws/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Care-and-Protection-Legislation-toProtect-Children-Issues-Paper.pdf [accessed 25 June 2015] 68. 75 SVSG Consultation with the NHRI, 1 May 2015 76 Thacker, Devon G. "Incest." Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. Ed. Bonnie S. Fisher, and Steven P. Lab. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2010. 475-77.SAGE knowledge. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. 77 SVSG Consultation with the NHRI, 1 May 2015. 78 Ibid. 79 From qualitative responses to schools Survey located on file at the NHRI. 80 Interview with Lina Chang, SVSG, 1 May 2015 22