Human rights in the practice of the courts of Papua New Guinea is being discussed in Port Moresby by judges of the National and Supreme Court.
The two-day workshop began today after a similar one was held last week for magistrates in the lower judiciary.
Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, in opening the workshop today, said two issues he hopes will be addressed are skills in dealing with human rights cases and the philosophical underpinnings of human rights.
“There is a wealth of case laws on human rights since Independence on the application, enforcement and protection of human rights under our domestic legal framework.
“Papua New Guinea courts have been very actively involved in the application and enforcement of constitutional rights within the context of civil and criminal jurisdiction since 1975,” Sir Salamo added.
Objectives of the workshop include developing awareness of court obligations in facilitating access for all and identifying human rights barriers affecting specific groups, as well as strategies in overcoming them.
Day one begun with how the national court uses human rights, and challenges faced in applying human rights.
Tomorrow’s discussions will be around the court’s role in enhancing access to justice, bridging human rights standards to customs in decision making and how the courts can provide leadership as agents of social change.
(Picture: Judges in attendance at the human rights workshop)