children are the ‘core’ of their parents. This implies that children are precious and parents are to nurture and guard them in a place of trust, alofa and support. Accordingly, Masina and Sala were not afforded these rights and protections. Myth 4: Children often make up stories and can’t be trusted Reality: Children rarely report their abuse and when they do, they are often not believed. Reporting such an incident can cause extreme pressures and stress within the family, even arguments. Under emotional duress and heavy questioning children may even retract their statement. This does not mean that they have lied. In the case of Masina, her mother viewed her clothing as provoking the abuse. This was also a common view shared by participants during the Inquiry that provoking clothes invite sexual attention. However, as shown by the myth below this is not the case. Myth 5: Children invite sexual abuse by acting or dressing seductively Reality: No child (or indeed adult) wants to be sexually abused and the psychological and physical impact can be devastating and last a lifetime. A child cannot give consent for sexual activity and by this reason alone cannot be held responsible for any sexual acts. By placing the blame onto the victim in this way society is merely allowing the abuser to avoid responsibility for their actions. Case Study 11: Iulia, Marisa and Tane* and their abusive Uncle16 Iulia and Marisa are 14 and 12 year old sisters, along with their 9 year old brother Tane. Their uncle sexually assaulted all three of them and raped Iulia. While Iulia was being raped she was scared that her uncle would kill her afterwards. Marisa, who was 11 at the time of the sexual assault, suffered injury to her vagina as did Tane to his anus. Tane, too was worried that he would be beaten by his uncle because of what he had done to him. In sentencing their uncle, Supreme Court Justice, Tafaoimalo Leilani TualaWarren established a severe breach of trust, stating, “instead of protecting the 16 See Samoa Observer. “Uncle jailed 13 years for raping sister.” (12 December 2017). Retrieved from http://www.samoaobserver.ws/en/12_12_2017/local/27731/Uncle-jailed-13-years-for-raping-sister%E2%80%99s-kids.htm. Accessed 12 May 2018.