About 1,600 courts operating under the Village Courts Act 1989, staffed by village magistrates and peace officers who need not be lawyers and who apply custom rather than the common law. They resolve far more disputes than the formal court system, and for most Papua New Guineans they are the justice system. Their decisions are supervised by the District and National Courts, and they cannot try serious crime.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- specialised
- Court type
- Customary court
- Jurisdiction
- Disputes within village communities under custom: minor offences, compensation, bride price, garden and boundary disputes, and mediation, subject to monetary and penalty limits.
- Seat
- Nationwide (approximately 1,600 courts)
- Established
- 1975
- Composition
- Village magistrates appointed from the community, with peace officers and clerks.
- Appointment
- Appointed by the Minister on the recommendation of the community and the Village Courts Secretariat.
- Languages
- Tok Pisin, English, local languages
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal or review to the District Court, and ultimately the National Court.
Filing at this court
- Bringing a complaint
- Made orally to the village court clerk; no pleadings required
- Jurisdictional limit
- Compensation and fines are capped by the Village Courts Act and regulations
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