Routledge Human Rights in the South Pacific: Challenges and Changes

This book looks at the challenges and contemporary issues raised by human rights in the island countries of the South West Pacific which have come under the influence of the common law – where the legal systems are complex and perceptions of rights varies widely. Drawing on a wide range of resources to present a contemporary and evolving picture of human rights in the island states of the South Pacific region, the book considers the human rights aspects of constitutions, legal institutions and structures, social organisation, culture and custom, tradition and change. The materials provide legal, historical, political, social and cultural insights into the lived experience of human rights in the region supported by illustrative material from case-law, media reports, and policy documents. The book also locates the human rights concerns of Pacific islanders firmly within the wider theoretical and international domain while at the same time maintaining focus on the importance of the unique identity of Pacific island nations and people. Human Rights in the South Pacific will appeal to anyone interested in the region or in human rights including international rights advocates, investors and developers, policy-makers, representatives of government and civic society and those wishing to acquire a better understanding of what countries emerging from colonial rule face in developing but still retaining their identity. Review "Taking a thematic approach, her book offers a useful integration of analysis from the national, regional and global levels, making the interaction of international and local rights thinking visible... Farran offers an overview of evolving international norms that takes us back to the Magna Carta and the evolution of codified and customary international law, but also asks―as many human rights scholars have done―if pre-colonial indigenous law and traditions provide wellsprings." - David Webster, University of Regina; Asia Pacific World, Volume 2 Number 2, Autumn 2011 About the Author Sue Farran is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, University of Dundee, Scotland and was formerly an Associate Professor of Law at the University of the South Pacific, Emalus Campus, Vanuatu.