These cases also demonstrate the prevalence of male on male violence, which is often less talked about but was highlighted on several occasions to the Inquiry. The stories above also reinforce the fact that violence is inter-related. In most of these studies the violence is not aimed towards one particular person but is a pattern of controlling behaviour towards those around the perpetrator. It is therefore not surprising to learn that perpetrators of IPV are two and a half times more likely40 to have fought with another man, like Afereti above. “I have seen men subjected to violence in homes. What is it that is causing us to live under this overwhelming stress that leads us to this dangerous behaviour?” Dr. Malama Tafunai, Inquiry public hearings Through anecdotal evidence, the SNYC has found that most young women who marry and settle in their husband’s villages experience forms of mental, emotional and verbal abuse from the husband’s family. A widespread multi-UN agency study undertaken in the South Pacific found that 62% of women reported to have experienced physical violence at the hands of a non-partner (usually, fathers, mothers, male and female family members and teachers).41 In the same Study, 11% reported experiencing sexual violence at the hands of a non-partner. This supports the finding that almost one in ten women in Samoa has been raped by a non-partner family member.42 INQUIRY FINDING 3: Family Violence is affecting almost all families in Samoa, with extremely high numbers of people experiencing extreme violence in their lifetime: • • • • • • 40 Almost 9 in 10 people have experienced physical or emotional violence within the family in their lifetime; The majority of women (6 out of 10) experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime; Violence at the hands of a non-partner is almost as prevalent as intimate partner violence; Up to 1 in 5 women are raped in their lifetime; People are becoming so accustomed to violence that slapping, kicking, punching, swearing at or threatening is now instinctive for many and considered not serious or to fall within the definition of violence; Family violence is killing people and tearing families apart. Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws. 41 UNFPA, UNICEF. (2015). Harmful Connections: Examining the Relationship between violence against women and violence against children in the South Pacific. Document 54 Inquiry anthology. 42 Explanation provided to the Inquiry by Savalenoa Mareva Betham-Annandale. Family Law Barrister and Solicitor. Written submission. Document 8 Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws.