A conference on the Prevention of Child Abuse in American Samoa has forced a public discussion on social problems that are often swept under the mat.
The conference brought together local agencies and organizations from Samoa and American Samoa and experts from the National Child Protection Training Centre.
Fa'aalu Iuli, a member of the American Samoa Interagency Child Abuse Task Force which organized the conference, says there is a need to establish a dialogue to brng the subject out into the open.
"Child abuse, domestic violence, all these issues that affect our lives in so many ways are often not spoken about, or not covered in great detail, unless of course we read about it in the newspaper or hear it on the radio."
