The father of an eight-year-old girl who ran away from her home at Vaiusu last week has been charged with assault after the girl refused to return home.

The story of the child had gripped the nation. She was reported missing by her family last Monday but was later found to have been seeking shelter with a family. The girl was taken to the police station but refused to return home, claiming constant abuse at the hands of her father.

Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo confirmed that the father of the girl will appear in the Supreme Court for mention on 13 May.

Auapaau said the latest incident, where this young girl ran away from home, was the third time the man had allegedly assaulted her.

Auapaau said the girl is now placed under the care of the Samoa Victim Support Group, awaiting the outcome of the case against her father.

The heartbreaking videos of this young girl were seen on social media as she clung to the legs of the woman who had given her shelter while refusing to return home.

The girl had claimed that her father constantly beat her up, especially when under the influence of alcohol.

The family that had given her shelter have made their intention known of adopting the child.

Despite a relatively robust legal framework that seeks to protect children from violence, available data indicate that children in Samoa experience violence in several contexts, including within the home, in schools and in the community.

According to data compiled by UNICEF, 41 per cent of school children reported being physically hurt by a teacher at school. 77 per cent of parents reported using physical violence to discipline their children.

The report stated that sexual abuse is reported to be prevalent; however, there is a lack of up-to-date statistical data on its nature, extent and causes. Child labour in Samoa includes vending, agriculture, domestic work and garbage scavenging.

Senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Vui Clarence Nelson has previously stressed the importance of children shaping Samoa's future and pointed out that the Samoan culture of using violence to discipline children is abuse.

Justice Nelson had stressed that with the many cases going before the courts daily, he was disheartened by the rise in violence against children.

"There are obviously many challenges in our communities and heaps of violence (cases) in families, which is not decreasing, especially with our knowledge from the side of the Court," said the Senior Supreme Court Justice.

"Many cases involve children, and it keeps going up, and it's disheartening. When will the violence stop against our children in terms of sexual violence and sexual abuse, especially within our families? I am really sad about how this is still happening."