General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Rev. Ma’auga Motu
By Martha Taumata Faavae
The National Council of Churches, NCC, is seriously concerned at a recent video clip that went viral on social media, of a Samoan woman being beaten by her husband while people stood and watch.
The NCC concerned reaction is behind a call for the Ministry of Police to look into the violence against women circulated online on social media.
The General Secretary of the religious body, Rev. Ma’auga Motu, also included the Samoa Victim Support Group, SVSG, in the call for an investigation.
‘It was not a video I would want to look at, I came across it on Facebook and I closed by eyes but when I heard the woman crying I got angry and felt that this should stop,” Rev. Ma’auga said.
“These videos should never be circulated online because it belittled the woman and demeaned who she is as a person.”
Rev. Ma’auga is worried at possible repercussions from the family of the woman seeing the way she was mistreated by her husband.
“To me the question is if the brothers of this woman and her family see this abuse displayed in public, they would be shamed and enraged at the same time it could lead to more problems of violence.
“ People who upload these videos on social media are obviously getting a kick out of doing so but I believe the police should look into legal punishment for people like this.”
Rev. Ma’auga would rather that the person who video record this kind of domestic violence should take it to the police rather than show it live or upload it on the internet.
He is concerned about the children of the beaten mother watching the violence and also be embarrassed knowing that it is being openly viewed by the public.
Another added concern is of the uploading of domestic violence becoming a social media trend by people who make such video recordings.
“Women who are beaten at home are usually living with the husband at his family home.
“Women living at her family with her husband are rarely beaten.”
Rev. Ma’auga noted seriously that domestic violence is not a new issue and with all the awareness programmes done in the villages to prevent against it, little effect seems to come out of it.
His worry is that it is now extending to social media and the public reach of the medium with all the new risks of more problems that may evolve out of it.
“ The traditional authority of the village and church leaders should set up monitoring committees on domestic violence.
“These committees should provide awareness programmes for wives , husbands and even children – impress on them the teachings of the bible so they can learn from them.”
The Commissioner of Police and the President of the Samoa Victim Support Group, SVSG, are yet to comment on the reaction from the National Council of Churches.
The Ministry of Police were, however, successful in getting the person who uploaded a video clip of the body of a dead woman lying on the road to have it removed.
The incident occurred at a petrol station when a man attacked and killed the woman before he committed suicide.