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Law for Pacific Women: A Legal Rights Handbook by I. Jalal (Book Review) [1998] JSPL 12; (1998) 2 Journal of South Pacific Law

BOOK REVIEW

BY NENA HICKS

LECTURER
SCHOOL OF LAW
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Title: Law for Pacific Women - A Legal Rights Handbook

Author: Jalal, I.

Published by: Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Suva (1998)

ISBN: 0-982-9000-001

pp: 674.

Upon arrival at the University of the South Pacific to teach Family Law in 1996, I found very few relevant secondary sources and had difficulty in tracking down the primary sources required for the development of the course. I was, however, fortunate to receive from Imrana Jalal a draft copy of her book, Law for Pacific Women - A Legal Rights Handbook, since published in 1998 by the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement in Suva, Fiji. This book contains a great deal of information and commentary, much of which an individual researcher would have difficulty in unearthing.

The chapter headings provide a good indication of the scope of the book - it begins with The Law and Women’s Lives and ends with Strategies for Change. Other chapters deal with areas which we would categorise as Family Law - marriage, separation, divorce, custody and guardianship of children, access, maintenance, matrimonial property, de facto relationships and affiliation proceedings. Women and the criminal law system is dealt with in Chapters 4 to 6 whilst Chapter Two is headed Constitutional Status, Citizenship and Customary law and Chapter Three deals with Land Rights. The topic of Women and Work is dealt with in Chapter 13 and Women Lawyers and Legal Aid for Women is discussed in Chapter 14.

The fifteen chapters are referenced by notes collected at the end of the book. Although this is not the most convenient location for those of us who are concerned with citations and explanations, the content illustrates the extent to which Ms Jalal has been able to collect the inputs of many individuals working within the legal systems of nine jurisdictions (all member states of the University of the South Pacific) in the region. As such, this book represents an important collection of authorities and information in the region. It follows the previous valuable contribution of Mere Pulea in her book "The Family, Law and Population in the Pacific Islands", published in 1986 by the University of the South Pacific.

The information is presented in Law for Pacific Women as simply as possible with an attempt to explain legal concepts and ideas in non-technical language. There is a comprehensive glossary, bibliography, index and case list. Diagrams, cartoons, comparative tables and the use of different type settings for emphasis or case descriptions add to the readability of the book.

Although this is not an academic text and is not aimed at an academic audience, many will find it a useful point of reference for case examples and some legislative provisions. Its main objective, however, is to politicise the position of women in the Pacific. Ms Jalal’s work is driven by her