Series 1 Say Something

Description

Domestic abuse affects many families in Pacific communities in New Zealand. But finding people to speak to about it was tougher than Simonne expected. Abuse is shrouded in secrecy and shame and people rarely speak publicly about it. So, when Simonne discovered a video called Say Something, which dramatised domestic violence in a Pacific family, she went to visit the actors.
Samoan New Zealanders Landa, her husband Ace and their 19 year old son Lavahki participated in the Say Something video. The video was produced by Pacifica Proud, a Ministry of Social Development initiative to curb domestic abuse in Pacific communities. Once released on social media last year the video touched a nerve. It’s been viewed over 220,000 times without any promotion and Lavahki and Ace have been inundated with messages. Many of these were to thank them for creating space for Pacifica to speak out about their own experiences of abuse.