These studies begin to give the Inquiry a broad indication of how much family violence is costing Samoa each year. However, they are mainly limited to considering the costs of reported violence which only accounts for approximately 10% of all family violence perpetrated at best. Regardless, the studies are instructive and they are expanded upon by other studies which find that in the Pacific (and East Asia) the costs of just a few of the health consequences of child maltreatment can be in the region of 1.4% to 2.5% GDP. 78 Efforts have already been made to calculate the cost of violence in Samoa and the SFSS 2017 found in 2013-2014 domestic violence cost ST$14.7m on health and police services alone.79 Furthermore, the report believed this to be only around 15% of the actual cost which would be ST$98m or 5.8% of Samoa’s GDP.80 The benefit of accurately knowing how much family violence costs Samoa helps to raise community and political awareness of the price of violence and build support for tackling it. Coming to an accurate figure is not within the power of the Inquiry as the required data simply does not exist currently, as highlighted by the SFSS 2017. However, what we do know already that it is certainly substantially more than ST$14.7m per year and far more likely to be in the region of 6–7% of Samoa’s GDP. The higher end of that figure would be in line with the Fiji study, which only considered violence against women and girls and not the broader area of family violence. This means that family violence may well have cost Samoa ST$132.02m, or more, in 2016-2017,81 the equivalent of ST$1,090 for every person 15 years or older, the equivalent of approximately three month’s work on minimum wage. INQUIRY FINDING 7: The economic cost of family violence is likely to be at least ST$98m - $132m per year (6 – 7% of Samoa’s GDP). With the knowledge of what family violence costs the country each year, and how it undermines investments in education, health and other public services, the proposed solutions in this report are essentially self-funding. Any argument that the Government cannot afford to holistically address family violence is obsolete and invalid. Given the apparent worsening nature of family violence, and the increased damage that will cause to the development of the country and its economy, there is no way it can afford not to. 9.6 Violation of human rights, the Fa’asamoa and Faith The overarching ethos of the Inquiry has been to view family violence through the lens of three value frameworks: the Fa’asamoa, Faith and human rights. These values, beliefs and practices will form the basis for the solutions in the Report. In Part I, an assessment has been made as to what degree they are being violated using the nature of family violence as explained by those people who understand it first hand in the case studies. 78 The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. (2009). “The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children.” Document 81 Inquiry anthology. 79 Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws. 80 Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws. 81 Calculated based on Real GDP reported by the Central bank of Samoa.