A report on people with disabilities in Samoa has praised the Fa'a Samoa and its contribution to community acceptance, but also expressed concern.
The report was a needs assessment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, and access to essential services for women and youth with disabilities compiled by the UN Agency.
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The report said community values of Fa'a Samoa contribute to the support and acceptance many Samoans with disabilities experience in their families and villages.
But it said the emphasis on community could also contribute to the perception of people with disabilities as community dependents, rather than independent individuals capable of making their own decisions.
The report concluded that gender inequality and entrenched cultural gender roles also persisted in Samoa, and impacted women and young people with disabilities and their access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services.
But it also pointed out there had been steady progress by Samoa in advancing disability rights since 2016.
The report also said that so called 'empowerment programmes' targeting people with disabilities were limited in terms of their effectiveness.
