perpetrators among some staff contribute to the lack of reporting and continuation of family violence. Parallels between the police and the health service are easy to identify. There is a similar lack of focus on family violence as a matter of ‘public health’ and lack of training of health professionals. This allows harmful attitudes to place victims at further risk and strengthen the veil of silence around reporting. The lack of focus and training also means that there is no screening process, insufficient allied health services for referral and a need for proper documentation of cases of family violence. “Family violence needs to be seen as a health issue, specifically a PUBLIC health issue. Developed countries recognize it as such and accordingly programmes are designed within the health and other related sectors to address this via screening and having resources available to deal with direct and indirect effects. Ministry of Health need to accept it as a public health issue.” Dr. Malama Tafunai, Inquiry public hearings As part of the Government’s commitment to address family violence it is necessary for it to become accepted as a ‘public health issue’ and that it is incorporated into all planning for the NHS and MoH and all services provision. This would provide the strategic and budgetary commitment required to establish a screening process for family violence, set up allied health services and ensure the necessary training for all frontline health staff. “One of the best things we can do to prevent violence is screen in health clinics as an early warning system.” UN Women, Family Violence Workshop, Apia, November 2017 Lifting the veil of silence on family violence and helping victims to report the crimes against them is one of the keys to addressing the issue in the long term. Healthcare professionals are therefore critical in this. This is because they are one of the few people likely to come into contact with victims and if given the necessary training, time and process, will be able to effectively identify and support victims to report and access the necessary services for their recovery. However, research in the Moto’otua hospital found that 63% of front line staff 53 do not have any understanding of GBV, a given if they are to play a positive preventive role. Further, it has been found that one of the barriers to reporting is the lack of agency victims have, due to family violence being viewed as a private matter and the blame that can be attached to reporting. External intervention has been found to circumnavigate this issue by absolving the victim of any potential blame and appears to be a widely supported approach in Samoa.54 Given the potential effectiveness of 53 Dr. Malama Tafunai, Primary Care Physician written submission to Inquiry. Document 5 Inquiry anthology. Ramona Boodoosingh and Penelope Schoeffel. (2015). “Addressing Violence against Women in Developing Countries: The Case of Samoa.” Document 82 Inquiry anthology. 54