7.1.10 Underreporting of violence against children It was also highlighted to the Inquiry that cases of violence against children are rarely reported. Most children do not report their abuse and some who do are not believed or beaten into silence. Children are an inherently vulnerable group to acts of violence and not empowered to raise concerns when they are subject to violence. The most common inflictors of violence against children are fathers (48%) and mothers (31%) 24 so it is little surprise that children are unable to raise concerns about the treatment they receive at the hands of their own parents, even without considering their potential lack of knowledge of how to do this or their physical capacity to do so. This is a concerning issue because it indicates significant problems with data collection but also reflects only a small percentage of the actual number of such crimes. 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. 7.2 Adult violence 7.2.1 Intimate Partner Violence Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) refers to any type of violence between partners in a relationship, whether married or unmarried. The type of violence it covers includes all of the types of violence set out in section 5.1. 7.2.2 Who is most at risk? The SFHSS 2000 makes it clear that IPV occurs within every part of Samoan society. There is not a single demographic where the rate of IPV drops below 33% of all women surveyed, with a national average of 46.4%. The variation in prevalence within the demographics is mostly insignificant. For instance, the SFHSS 2000 found there to be no significant difference in the rates of violence if a woman was married, divorced, widowed or in a de facto relationship. The same was true of the position of the woman in the household or whether they belonged to any organization (women’s committee, church, etc.). 24 Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws.