Fa’aSamoa principles and values inform the experiences of and policy towards people with disabilities in Samoa. The community values of Fa’aSamoa contribute to the support and acceptance many Samoans with disabilities experience in their families and villages.
However, the Fa’aSamoa emphasis on the community can also contribute to the perception of people with disabilities as community dependents rather than independent individuals capable of making their own decisions.
Moreover, because one cannot be separated from one’s family and community, empowerment programmes for people with disabilities without concurrent programmes for family and community members, have limited effectiveness.
This was highlighted in the assessment report on sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, and access to essential services for women and young people with disabilities in Samoa, which the United Nations Population Fund commissioned (UNFPA) under the Australian Government-funded Transformative Agenda for Women, Adolescents and Youth in the Pacific programme.
Additionally, common stereotypes about people with disabilities – for example, that people are born with disabilities are a result of a curse or that women with disabilities cannot care for their children21 – present barriers to acceptance of people with disabilities as full and equal rights-holders.
Gender inequality and entrenched cultural gender roles also persist in Samoa and impact women and young people with disabilities and their access to SRH and GBV services.
In 2020 the United Nations Population Fund Pacific Sub-Regional Office (UNFPA Pacific) engaged Women Enabled International (WEI) – in collaboration with the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) and Nuanua O Le Alofa (NOLA) – to conduct needs assessment research to identify the barriers preventing women and young people with disabilities living in Samoa from fully realizing their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and their rights to legal capacity and to be free of gender-based violence (GBV).
This report summarizes research findings and priority recommendations for the State to eradicate those barriers and advance the fundamental rights of women and young people with disabilities.
Since 2016, steady progress in advancing disability rights has been made in Samoa through policies and investment in the Samoan disability community.
A National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2021-2031 was launched in July 2021.32 It includes two notable strategic outcomes for tackling the barriers to SRH and GBV services experienced by women and young people with disabilities in Samoa.
Increased awareness about the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
Awareness raising and communications materials and resources on the additional challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities and strategies to ensure their participation in decision-making at all levels.
