OWEN JESSEP’s scientific contributions

Village Courts were first established in Papua New Guinea in 1975, and in fifteen years have become an important part of the legal system. Village Courts have an extensive jurisdiction in matters arising from custom, including marital and family disputes. This paper outlines the scope of the Village Court's jurisdiction in customary family law matters, and then looks at a number of recent cases in which Village Court orders against women have been challenged in higher courts, largely on constitutional grounds relating to natural justice, and sexual equality. The wider implications of these cases are then considered, and attention given to proposals for reforms to the structure and jurisdiction of Village Courts.