5. The Nature of Family Violence There are many faces of family violence, many victims, and many different kinds of perpetrators. Not only that, family violence affects people in different ways across different cultures. It is important for us all to have a general understanding of this so that we are able to recognize and address it within the Samoan context and drawing from international best practice and comprehension where appropriate. 5.1 Types of violence The types of violence carried out are numerous and encompass:1 • • • • • Physical violence: anything from a slap or a push on one end of the scale to being hit with a machete or shot with a gun at the other end of the scale; Sexual violence: Physical violence can also be of a sexual nature and include unwanted touching, harassment, rape, incest; Emotional/Psychological and Verbal abuse: intimidation, isolation, coercion, jealousy, threats, neglect, blaming, shaming and name calling are all examples of verbal abuse which can have a negative impact on a person emotionally, often of a long term nature; Financial violence: when one person in a relationship has control over the other’s access to economic resources, limiting their independence and forcing them to depend on their partner; Any other controlling or abusive behaviour where such conduct harms or may cause imminent harm to the safety, health or wellbeing of a person. 5.2 Who is affected? Family violence is not just limited to a man beating his partner, it can start from birth right up until old age. It is not always physical and can be experienced in many different ways. It is rarely a one off. Certain groups can be particularly vulnerable to family violence and in Samoa the following groups experience violence within the family setting: 1 See Family Safety Act 2013.