Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

On 9 December 2021 the Australian National University (ANU) and the Pacific Community (SPC) co-convened a ‘Symposium on family protection orders in the Pacific region’.

Family protection orders are a legal tool used to protect survivors of domestic violence from further harm.

The symposium was an important opportunity to take stock of the family protection order legislation that is currently in place in different Pacific Island countries. The presentations highlighted many shared challenges across the Pacific, such as those relating to enforcing orders, societal attitudes towards domestic violence and the need for better data.

It was also an opportunity to showcase some of the unique projects taking place which facilitate access to justice for domestic violence survivors in rural and remote areas. The sessions were recorded and are now available on the ANU Department of Pacific Affairs YouTube Channel here.

A publication which captures the presentations is forthcoming and will be available later in 2022.

Session Recordings

Click the links below to view recordings of the individual sessions.

Session 1 - Opening Remarks

• Housekeeping and overview - Mr William Nainima, Adviser, Human Rights and Social Development, Pacific Community & Dr Judy Putt, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
• Prayer - Ms Julieanne Wickham, Officer, Human Rights and Social Development, Pacific Community
• Welcome - Professor Nicole Haley, Head, Pacific Research Program, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
• Opening remarks on behalf of the ‘Regional Working Group on the Implementation of Family Protection/Domestic Violence Legislation’ - Ms Moliei Vaai, CEO, Ministry of Justice and Court Administration, Samoa and Chair of the ‘Regional Working Group on the Implementation of Family Protection/Domestic Violence Legislation’

Session 2 - Regional Overview of Legislation Relating to FPOs

• Ms Neomai Maravuakula, Team Leader, Governance & Institutional Strengthening, Human Rights and Social Development Division, Pacific Community

Session 3 - Pacific Courts Annual Reporting on the Implementation of Family Protection Acts

• Ms Cate Sumner, Adviser, Pacific Judicial Strengthening Initiative (session chair)
• The Hon. Honora E. Remengesau Rudimch, Associate Justice, Trial Division, Supreme Court of Palau
• Senior Magistrate ‘Elisapeti Makoni Langi, Tonga

Session 4 - Patriarchal Norms and FPOs in Tonga | Accessing FPOs in the Pacific: Gaps and Challenges

• Ms ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Director, Women and Children Crisis Centre, Tonga
• Ms Stephanie Dunn, Legal and Advocacy Officer, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre

Session 5 - Cook Islands: Successes and Challenges | Gaps and Future Priorities: Samoa Case Study

• Ms Catherine Evans, Lawyer and Patron, Punanga Tauturu Inc (Women’s Counselling Centre), Cook Islands
• Ms Johanna Gusman, Human Rights and Social Inclusion Advisor, Pacific Community

Session 6 - Family Protection Orders: The Vanuatu Experience - 2008 to Date

• Ms Tatavola Matas, Coordinator, Vanuatu Women’s Centre
• Inspector Lily Joel, Officer in Charge, Family Protection Unit, Vanuatu Police Force
• Ms Polly Walker-Dorras, Senior Project Officer, Vanuatu Australia Police and Justice Program

Session 7 - More than Words on Paper: The Reality of FPOs in PNG, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste

• Ms Tracey Newbury, Senior Program Manager, International Women’s Development Agency (session chair)
• Ms Luania Kirori, Eastern Highlands Family Voice, Papua New Guinea
• Ms Olinda Cardoso, Program Manager, Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik (ALFeLa), Timor Leste
• Ms Kiungui-Kepa Be’Soer, Legal Officer, Voice for Change, PNG

Session 8 - Tuvalu Family Protection and Domestic Violence Act: Challenges with FPOs

• Ms Lisepa Paeniu, Crown Counsel, Office of the Attorney General, Tuvalu

Session 9 - Fiji’s Experience with Domestic Violence Restraining Orders

• Ms Mele Rakai, Barrister and Solicitor, Sherani & Co, Fiji (session chair)
• Ms Radhika Naidu, Head of Litigation, Reddy Law, Fiji
• Ms Swastika Narayan, Principal, Swastika Legal, Fiji

Session 10 - Implementing the Family Protection Act: The Solomon Islands Experience

• Ms Vaela Ngai, Director, Women’s Development Division, Ministry for Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA), Solomon Islands
• Ms Ruby Awa, Former Programme Manager, Access to Justice Project, RRRT, SPC
• Ms Koisau Sade, Senior Policy Officer, Women’s Development Division, MWYCFA, Solomon Islands

Session 11 - Perpetrator/Men’s Behaviour Change Programming | FPOs in PNG: Research Findings

• Mr Tevita Seruilumi, Family and Sexual Violence & Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Adviser, JSS4D, PNG
• Dr Judy Putt, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University

Session 12 - Concluding Remarks

• Dr Fiona Hukula, Gender Specialist, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
• Mr Miles Young, Director, Human Rights and Social Development Division, Pacific Community