10 Jul 2008

Survey shows little awareness of child sexual abuse in American Samoa

2:04 pm on 10 July 2008

A survey that looked at community perceptions regarding child sexual abuse in American Samoa shows that there is only a vague awareness of the issue and there's no immediate motivation to address it.

The Child Sexual Abuse Community Readiness Survey was conducted by a non profit group, Ina'ilau a Tama'itai.

The survey asked community groups questions to evaluate their awareness and perceptions of child sexual abuse.

Faa'ali Iuli, a member of Ina'ilau says the survey results can help service providers plan intervention and awareness programs to tackle child sexual abuse

"Despite the fact that we see a lot of community efforts out there with child protective services, DPS, and coalitions and we see signs on the side of the road, I guess, the general perception right now on our community is there is a sort of degree of vague awareness that there's things going on, and that is a good sign. That is a very positive step for us to begin planning and working together to look at relevant and appropriate services."