Australian Development Gateway

The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Human rights

Converging currents: custom & human rights in the Pacific

Custom and Human Rights are embedded in many Pacific constitutions or statues, yet the two concepts are often perceived as conflicting.

The focus of this study is the integration of customs and human rights laws in the Pacific. It examines the practical operation of justice mechanisms, including both the courts and the wide range of community justice bodies found in the Pacific.

Chapters in this study include:
- The challenge
- The Pacific and legislative context
- Understanding custom law and human rights
- Women's, children's and young people's rights
- Community justice
- The role of courts and their access to custom law
- Legislative support and public review entities
- Regional developments

This study can be downloaded as a PDF file or viewed online.

 

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