UPR 25th Session, Geneva, May 3, 2016
As delivered by Jessica Carl
The United States welcomes the Samoan delegation to the UPR Working Group.
We commend Samoa for successfully holding free and fair parliamentary elections this March. We are encouraged by the progress made to increase women’s participation in all aspects of the political process.
We remain troubled that domestic violence against women persists and that prison conditions remain poor. We are concerned that laws regarding hazardous work conditions for children are too vague, and there remains no minimum age or legal definition for light work. We are also concerned about the lack of clarity surrounding Samoa’s 2013 Family Safety Act provisions intended to protect women and children.
Bearing in mind these concerns, we recommend that Samoa:
- Enforce the 2013 Family Safety Act, especially ensuring the full prohibition of sexual harassment and spousal rape.
- Establish a coordinating mechanism to combat child labor, including in all its worst forms.
- Combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by decriminalizing “sodomy” and quote: “indecency between males,” which currently constitute crimes punishable by prison sentencing for up to seven years.
(end statement)