The Inquiry was extremely concerned to hear of church ministers who are violent towards their wives and the number of cases of those found to have sexually abused children within their care,87 including the church minister currently facing charges of raping his own niece. 88 These cases would only be a small portion of something much larger that cannot yet be seen or understood. It is therefore not surprising, as is the case with Government and the Village Fono, to note a lack of action to prevent family violence, and church ministers being proactive in the preservation of the status quo and protective of perpetrators rather than victims. For all of the above reasons it is not surprising to hear many church ministers in complete denial and silence as to the existence and extent of the problem of family violence, as is the case within many Village Fonos. “In my village I do not know of any cases of family violence.” Matai and Church Representative participant, Inquiry public hearings “Reverend Howard Leiataua did not perceive domestic violence was occurring often in the church congregation and most cases are one off incidents or disputes.” Ramona Boodoosingh, PHD on Violence Against Women in Samoa, Inquiry document 82 Churches are therefore either turning a blind eye to family violence, have lost contact to the point they are unaware of its existence, or are attempting to explain it away as one-off incidents. The church needs to accept that fact in order to re-establish its preventive role. INQUIRY FINDING 31: The church is generally failing in its role to prevent family violence and is reinforcing the patriarchal framework which underpins family violence. The church contributes to the impunity of perpetrators and allows perpetrators within its ministry. 8.5 Data Collection Government, Village Fonos and the Churches are the three primary institutions that can prevent family violence in Samoa, with the right approach, commitment and strategy. However, it is the view of the Commissioners, that in order to know what that approach and strategy should be, it is imperative that effective data collection takes place. Good planning is reliant on reliable, up to date, accurate and detailed information on the prevalence of family violence, access to services, impact of programmes, etc. 87 Police v Paulo (Sentence) [2002] WSSC 1 (13 February 2002). Accessed at http://www.paclii.org/cgibin/sinodisp/ws/cases/WSSC/2002/1.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=paulo. 88 Samoa Observer. “Church Minister facing sex charges vacates plea.” (3 December 2017). Retrieved from http://www.samoaobserver.ws/en/03_12_2017/local/27360/Church-Minister-facing-sex-charges-vacates-plea.htm.