Village courts

Attorney General, Dr Eric Kwa, made this known on Wednesday, 24^th November.

“We want to include the rule of law, right in the village and at the community level,” he said.

He was speaking at the launch of three key documents on the Underlying Law by the Constitutional and Law reform Commission (CLRC).

“Over the last 45 years, so much focus has been given to the top and we are giving little attention to the 19,000 people who are the front liners of the law and justice sector, working throughout the country.”

The judiciary has been in touch with the community to build a standard facility for the village court in the village.

Attorney General and Justice Minister, Davis Steven recently visited the village for the pilot project.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia said K300, 000 has been put aside to build the facility.

He said village courts deal with 80 percent of disputes and must be looked after by all including the government.

Village Courts have some jurisdiction under the Village Courts Act (1989) and Village Courts Amendment Act (2013).

Many of the village courts need to familiarize themselves with  recent laws such as the Lukautim Pikinini Act (2015), the Juvenile Justice Act (2014) and the Family Protection Act (2013).

The Department of Justice and Attorney General, and ChildFund Papua New Guinea, with support from the European Union, have joined hands to strengthening the capacity of the community justice system to address increasing cases of violence against children in Central Province.