Therefore, even if harsh verbal discipline/violence of this nature is borne out of caregivers love and a belief that it is necessary for a ‘child’s development’, it can actually lead to precisely the types of behaviour the caregivers are trying to raise their child to avoid. In the extreme, it can lead to the loss of life, as seen in the case of Teuila and her unborn baby.61 Children who are exposed to violence suffer just as significant consequences as those who experience it directly. The SFHSS 2000, reported that the children of women who were abused are 35% more likely to display aggressive behaviour than the children of women who were not abused. They are also 54% more likely to drop out of school and 24% more likely to have nightmares.62 These consequences also appear to apply for child victims of sexual violence. Inquiry witnesses spoke emotionally about how their experiences had shaped and affected their lives including their own families, with many still trying to come to terms and cope with what they had gone through. Feelings of shame and a loss of self-esteem were commonplace among the survivors. Lani’s story of survival63 reflects how it took her 20 years merely to be able to speak about what had happened to her. The statistics indicate that many more still keep their stories to themselves to this day, to the detriment of their physical and mental wellbeing. In addition, the Inquiry identified patterns of inter-generational violence where children who were subjected to verbal and physical abuse later went on to become abusers themselves. Petelu64 is our first example but the Inquiry heard many more and the cycle of violence will be explored more in section 14. The Inquiry has found the effects of child violence to be severe and far ranging. Furthermore, the consequences can be the same regardless of the type of violence experienced, further demonstrating the inter-relatedness of family violence. The impacts of violence against children cannot be dismissed lightly and neither can these be attributed to extreme violence only. The question of what constitutes ‘reasonable’ punishment of children lingers over the Inquiry and has yet to be determined. Section 12.1 will seek to examine what the law currently says in Samoa and whether this adequately protects against causing the types of impacts above, which harm both the child and the society at large. It is not just what constitutes violence which there is uncertainty and a lack of knowledge. The impacts of violence towards children are something not widely understood, as demonstrated by the responses of the 1,500 Inquiry consultation participants and among those giving evidence during the public hearings. It is essential for a broader understanding of these consequences to be developed in order to strengthen the mandate for change and to better inform future protection and prevention initiatives. It is not only the health and well-being of a child which can be negatively affected by violence but the economic development of the whole country and this occurs in two different ways. The first is through the unnecessary strain it puts on service providers and the associated costs, primarily for the national 61 Case Study 3. SPC and UNFPA. (2006). Samoa Family Health and Safety Study 2000. Document 83 in Inquiry anthology, accessible at www.ombudsman.gov.ws. 63 Case Study 6. 64 Case Study 1. 62