Two children aged one and five-years-old had to be rescued by the Samoa Police Service and the Samoa Victim Support Group on Boxing Day after they were found to have been left home alone while their parents went to work.

The incident was reported to the S.V.S.G. by the landlord of the couple at around 11pm and quick action led to rescuing the children.

“A day after Christmas and two children ages 1 and 5 were left on their own at 11pm while the parents went to work. A concerned landlord alerted S.V.S.G.'s Helpline for the children's safety and with the assistance of the Police, the children were taken to the station to await their parents. For assistance, contact SVSG's Helpline on 8007874. Stay safe Samoa,” S.V.S.G. said on their social media page.

S.V.S.G. President Siliniu Lina Chang said they have had quite a number of incidents involving children reported to them through the hotline over the Christmas weekend.

“This is not the first time children have been left home alone by parents when they go to work. This happens in cases mostly where the parents are street vendors,” she said.

“But in saying that, leaving children as young as these is not the right thing to do. We are going to meet with the parents on Thursday and discuss the matter and help them where we can.”

She said there were a number of similar cases the S.V.S.G. dealt with during the measles pandemic.

A report by the United Nations on child protection found that a lot needed to be done to ensure that people understood the rights of children in Samoa.

According to the report, there is a belief that such concepts were Western ways.