Tuiloma Sina Retzlaff speaks with passion, clarity and forcefulness about the abuse of women and children in the home, dispelling some of the myths associated with domestic violence and urging for stronger action to deal with what she called this deadly crisis
An advocate and also a victim of domestic abuse she is a research fellow on the subject.
Tuiloma held the attention of her audience of church ministers, priests, social workers, educators and mothers, daughters, sons and husbands attending a forum on the status of domestic violence in the 2Samoa.
The forum was sponsored by the Alliance for Strengthening Families/ American Samoa Alliance against Domestic and sexual violence and was held yesterday at the Fatuoaiga Auditorium.
Tuiloma told the audience that it was important for those providing services for victims of domestic abuse to understand what it is and how it happens.
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The keynote speaker congratulated two male speakers at the Forum, Robert Toelupe of the VA Clinic and Tapumanaia Galu Satele, Deputy Director of OPAD who spoke about the role of men in strengthening families.
She said in the workshops she holds in Samoa , she has yet to identify two men willing to speak about the subject of domestic violence.
Tuiloma said a Forum like yesterday’s on the state of domestic violence in Apia last year was driven by the Family Violence Court.
The court was closed for three days while the judges discussed the epidemic.
