“Not reporting violence implies the persistence of the belief among both victims and perpetrators that domestic abuse is a justifiable private affair and not a crime.” Samoa Family Safety Study, 2017, Inquiry document 46 There are many different ways in which violence becomes normalized, all of which involve allowing it to go unpunished and flourish, such as:68        Social norms around violence and reporting including embarrassment or fear or shame; Repercussions for reporting (either further violence, punishment or social condemnation) Not believing victims; Blaming victims for the violence they have endured; Inaction by service providers or community leaders; Lack of services of access to justice; The values children are raised with. These will all be examined in greater detail in the next Part of the Report to assess to what degree, if any, they apply within the Samoan context. For now it is sufficient to rely on the fact that around 90% of IPV in Samoa goes unreported, leaving it to go unpunished and inherently accepted. 69 For violence against children, inter-family violence and violence against specific groups it is likely to be higher. Of the women who do not report IPV one study found 86% believe their abuse to be ‘normal’ or ‘not serious’ while in another 70% believe it to be justified.70 The SFSS 2017 found that the predominant reason why violence is not reported is because it was deemed not serious, yet ‘not serious’ was commonly described as a slap on the face, being punched, shamed or being sworn at or told off. When society is at a point where the abused are no longer able to recognize what is happening to them, then it can be concluded that it has been fully normalized and accepted in society regardless of the minority who choose to speak out about it. It is quite easy to envisage how family violence becomes more prevalent and normalized over time, as the Inquiry has found. The nature of violence is such that it progressively gets worse over time, both at an individual level and a societal level. At an individual level, violence is an ineffective method of power and control and therefore those employing violence as a control mechanism come to believe they must become even more violent to achieve their aims if and when they inevitably do not get their way or simply feel frustrated with life in general. As the nature of violence worsens and goes widely unpunished, society’s tolerance increases – what was previously unacceptable becomes acceptable. This happens on a societal level because children are raised in environments where violence is prevalent. They learn from 68 World Health Organisation. (2016). INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children. Document 48 Inquiry anthology. 69 Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws. 70 SPC and UNFPA. (2006). Samoa Family Health and Safety Study 2000. Document 83 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws.