Is customary law appropriate when dealing with sexual and gender-based violence in the Pacific?

Our Pacific cultures are based on the community – and when it comes to meting out justice, customary law is often recognised within the legal system.

This is where the whole family or village takes collective responsibility for an offender's actions and seeks to right the wrong directly with the victim and the victim's family.

In fact, it's from these traditions that restorative justice has grown and is now successfully adopted across many parts of the western world.

But what happens when it's a violent offence against an individual? And in particular women and children who often don't have a voice?

Sistas, Let's Talk explores customary law and asks whether it's appropriate for dealing with sexual and gender-based violence.

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on the 8th August 2024