Children of the Pacific: giving effect to Article 3 UNCRC in small island states

While children are universal, recognising and giving practical efffect to their rights is not. Compliance with international obligations under the UNCRC imposes considerable demands on small developing nations, such as those found in the south Pacifijic region, where children make up over a third of the total population of many island states. Focussing on criminal and family law this paper considers how the local courts are engaging with the Convention and the challenges which arise in plural legal systems characterised by lack of legal reform and lack of resources, in which the contemporary experience of traditional social ordering may value children but not necessarily see them as right holders.