“Violence is a cycle that happens over and over again. Often it gets worse. As it gets worse the risks get higher.” UN Women speaking at Family Violence Workshop, Apia, November 2017 What this all highlights are how any form of violence can create a domino effect of further violence. Violence does not happen in isolation and the consequences are often inter-generational. The diagram above shows how violent behaviours can be introduced into a child’s life and the bad news is that for each level you go up the risk of them becoming a perpetrator or victim is higher. The good news, however, is that it is possible to remove a child from this developmental path and break the cycle of violence. The way to do that is to reject all forms of violence at a personal level and create a national zero tolerance approach. This Inquiry marks a watershed moment for family violence in Samoa. Never before has an exercise of this magnitude taken place, where the views of so many have been accounted for. It is highly unlikely to ever happen again. The causes and triggers of family violence are many and inter-linked. It is safe to say that almost every person in Samoa has played a role in the prevalence of family violence to date, from being a perpetrator of violence to standing by and watching it happen without standing up. However, the Commissioners do not find any value in ascribing blame and for many people violence is the only way they have known, unaware of the consequences. The Inquiry has, for the first time, provided a comprehensive understanding of the causes, contributing factors and triggers in Samoa. Now, no longer, should people be unaware of the consequences of their actions and no longer is there any excuse for standing by and not taking action to break the cycle. Part V explores exactly what actions need to be taken to achieve these ends, and the elimination of violence from our society. INQUIRY FINDING 50: Due to the cyclical nature of family violence the only way to address it and reduce prevalence is to foster a zero tolerance approach to all forms of violence across society.