violence by absolving the perpetrator of any responsibility and allowing them to continue operating with impunity. It does not just apply to sexual violence either. Inquiry Info Point 12: What is victim blaming? When the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that happened to them. Examples may include the following:21  “Well, when someone dresses the way she does, she’s asking for it.”  “She was drunk; she must not be remembering things correctly.”  “She was flirting with him, what did she expect?”  “I know he is a really nice person and would NEVER do something like that.” Victim blaming is a feature of all forms of violence and is so common that it has been accepted across society. Most of society believes there are justifications for IPV or physical or verbal discipline or violence towards children22 but in many cases these are just further examples of victim blaming. The case studies have already revealed how Sisilia23 felt responsible at the age of 4 for the sexual abuse inflicted on her by her cousin or Malo24 who would beat his wife even when she had not done anything wrong but who would still tell her it was her fault. Why do respected individuals, such as the matai above, and people from all across society hold these highly detrimental views and regularly blame victims for the violence they endure? Is it simply a misunderstanding of the true causes? The answer is no. It is for one of two reasons: 1. To consolidate power and strengthen the patriarchal nature of society; or 2. As an acceptance and internalization of the argument as a protection mechanism against being subjected to further violence. Both of these things happen at both a societal and individual level. A man might not necessarily be protecting his own immediate power in victim shaming, but rather the system as a whole which grants him power and superiority. Similarly a woman may not be trying to protect herself from violence by internalizing rather than fighting victim shaming attitudes but it may have been passed down through generations and be ingrained into their belief system. The quote below is an example of mindsets that breeds victim blaming. 21 The SAVA Center. “It’s On Us.” Retrieved from http://itsonusfortcollins.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/What-is-VictimBlaming.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2018. 22 See Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. (2017). Samoa Family Safety Study. Document 46 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws; SPC and UNFPA. (2006). Samoa Family Health and Safety Study 2000. Document 83 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws; and Samoa Office of the Ombudsman/ NHRI. (2015). State of Human Rights Report 2015: For Samoa by Samoa. Apia: Government Printers. 23 Case Study 7. 24 Case Study 17.