Finger pointed at violent ministers

Pacific Island church ministers are responsible for abusing "more than a few" women who seek help from Women's Refuge, says its chief executive.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said the case of a minister and his wife jailed for two years last week was a "wakeup call" to the Samoan community.

The pair were found guilty of 22 assaults and neglect and cruelty towards eight children adopted from Samoa.

Samoan Council chairman Tino Pereira said New Zealand's court system needed to educate itself on the Samoan ritual of ifoga (forgiveness) when sentencing Samoans for violent crimes.

But Ms Raukawa-Tait said rituals such as ifoga often made it worse for Pacific women.

"They find the pressure from their family so overpowering that they stay silent for years.

"I think Tino could better direct his advice to his own Samoan men to stop immediately their ugly behaviour towards their women and children."

More than 1000 Islander women and children sought refuge last year.

The two Pacific Island refuges in Auckland were always full, said Ms Raukawa-Tait, "and the women there tell of horrific stories of abuse, physical and sexual."

"On more than a few occasions the women have mentioned church ministers as being their abusers."

Mr Pereira said he did not condone the conduct of the couple, which was "absolutely unacceptable behaviour," but he questioned "whether sending someone to prison will really help the community."

Mainstream Samoan ministers condemned the case as "despicable," saying the actions of the Assembly of God minister, who was granted name suppression, dragged them down.

Samoan Congregational Church minister the Rev Risati Ete said the couple had shamed the Samoan community.

"All the Samoan ministers are being given a bad image from what has happened. We never advocate any means of disciplining children by assaulting children."

Assembly of God ministers were usually untrained, he said.

Retired Pacific Island Presbyterian minister the Rev Setu Masina said the prison term was not harsh enough.

"I saw with my own eyes in the islands they way the ministers were behaving ... they do what they want."

- NZPA