Siaki even beat Lusia up when she was pregnant. His family stood by and watched the abuse happen, not saying a word to stop it or intervene even when she was carrying a child. *Names changed to protect the identities of those involved. The in-laws in the case of Lusia are complicit in Siaki’s behaviour. They stood by and watched when they could easily have stopped their son and brother from carrying out these violent acts. They bear as much responsibility for the suffering Lusia had to endure and are failing in their duty to uphold the fa’asinomaga and malupuipuia. The Samoan proverb says ‘a malu i fale, e malu i fafo’ and it is no longer a given that one feels safe in their homes, and as a result safety in the wider community is threatened too. It is important to begin to recognize that the impact of violence within the home does not stay within the family and often spills out into wider society. 7.2.4.2 Inter-family violence Case Study 21: Kori’s* Coercive Cousin Kori is 21 years old and now attends the Teen Challenge rehabilitation programme and lives with his old brother. However, he used to live with his parents and extended family, which included his sisters, three cousins, and a partner of one of the cousins. His cousin with the partner used to enjoy beating her up in front of the family, punching and pushing her to show what he can do. Kori asked him to stop many times but he continued. When she went to the shops the cousin would get angry for her taking her time and as soon as she returned would beat her up in front of everyone, saying it was because she does not listen to him and is talkative when out shopping. One night some of the family had sat down for dinner and the cousin was waiting for his wife who was talking to someone on the road. She came in and went to sit down but did not make it onto the seat before the cousin punched her hard in the face, knocking her over and causing her to hit her head. The cousin grabbed a knife to strike her with and at that moment Kori intervened and stood in the way. The cousin shouted at him to get out of the way and that it was none of his business and then hit him. Kori retaliated and hit him three times with a stick he grabbed and then punched him until he was unconscious. The cousin and wife have now moved out, as has Kori, who was reported to the police and is now taking part in the Teen Challenge programme as a result. *Names changed to protect the identities of those involved.

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