Dear Editor,

I’m appalled at the treatment of the young girl and her family in Vailoa Palauli by the village fono. 

The girl through no fault of her own has become the victim of a pedophile priest. 

But instead of support and sympathy her family cops a fine while the priest is simply moved to another village where he can continue his offending.

It’s this sort of action that stops young girls from reporting sexual abuse and allows this evil to flourish. 

There’s no mention of the girls age in the article except that she is in year 13.

Some would say that by this age she knew what she was doing but what barriers can a child put up when as soon as they can walk they’re told to honour and obey the faifeau who walks just a half a step behind God. 

In any case it’s reasonable to suspect that the grooming of this girl began much earlier while she was still a young adolescent. 

While traditional Samoan society continues to treat vulnerable victims in this manner we can’t condemn the young people for being restless and disillusioned with us older generation.

Puava T