�y��vlog

In Samoa, only a matai - a family or clan leader - can be elected to parliament.

Mataafa said there were ongoing impediments to female participation in politics such as the practice by some villages to deny women chiefly titles, called matai, which is a prerequisite for entering parliament.

All Matamata’s victims said they were too scared to complain about their treatment, given Matamata’s matai or chiefly status, which commanded absolute obedience.

His victims, who were all Samoan, were too scared to alert the authorities because of his status as a matai or chief, the court heard.

All of Matamata’s victims said they were too scared to complain about their treatment, given Matamata’s matai or chiefly status, which commanded absolute obedience.