The Samoa Family Health and Safety Study (SFHSS) is a component of the larger Pacific Multi-site Study of the Effects of Violence Against Women on Family Health and Safety, which is a joint research initiative of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The Multi-site study follows the methodology of the World Health Organization (WHO) Multi- country Study of Women’s Health and DomesticViolence, and uses questionnaires based on those developed by WHO. The Pacific Multi-site Study was designed to:

• provide detailed information on the prevalence and frequency of different forms of violence in families (defined to include relationships between de facto partners);

• examine risk and protective factors at the household and community level;

• document the health and legal consequences of domestic violence;

• explore strategies and interventions used by victims, families, and communities; and

• assess the impact of attitudes on the preventionand intervention of violence