7.1.5 Gender stereotyping of children and unequal treatment of boys and girls Gender stereotyping and a belief that women are subservient to men is globally accepted to underpin all GBV leaving open the question of whether this applies in Samoa. The Inquiry found strong evidence to suggest that not only does it apply but that gender stereotyping starts from birth, which in turns facilitates and contributes to family violence. Boys and girls are raised differently in Samoa and there are very strong, fixed ideals of their respective roles, duties and characteristics – all of which reinforce gender stereotypes. This also leads to a patriarchal society where men are able to act with impunity and the interests of women are not represented. “There is a problem within families where brothers and sisters go head to head because parents are not doing their role. They are lifting one and they are dragging the other ��� there is an imbalance in the way they raise them.” Rev. Fred Sefo, EFKS, Inquiry public hearings From birth, girls are kept close to their mothers, usually within the household, where they are required to carry out chores, cook for their brothers and family and stay out of harm’s way. In contrast, boys are seen as free to come and go as they please, with little responsibilities either in relation to their role or their actions. Indeed, the primary reasons girls are not afforded the same freedom of movement as boys is the perception that boys are uncontrollable sexual beings who will be powerless to stop themselves if the opportunity arises. “Boys, but not girls, are permitted to roam around in their spare time. Girls who roam about unsupervised are considered to be inviting sexual attention.” Participant during Inquiry Community Consultations This attitude teaches children that boys are not responsible for their actions. It fosters a sense of entitlement over girls and women that is taken into adulthood and that can lead to both sexual assault and IPV. If boys are told from an early age that they are not responsible for their sexual behavior, and it is the responsibility of the girl to prevent it happening it does two things. First it encourages this type of behaviour within boys (and subsequently men), and secondly it places the blame on the girl (and women), meaning that when it does happen it is less likely to be reported as the victim feels personally responsible and not entitled to complain. This finding is evidenced by research from the region into why men carry out violence which found that the primary motivation for rape was a sense of sexual entitlement. Of those who had raped in their