Advancing the Implementation of CEDAW in the Cook Islands

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Advancing the Implementation of CEDAW in the Cook Islands

June 17, 2015

The report "Advancing the Implementation of CEDAW in the Cook Islands: Good Practise Approaches to Civil family law Bill" presents the results of a desk review commissioned by the UNDP Pacific Centre to identify good practice law reform options in six areas pertaining to family law in the Cook Islands.

The six areas reviewed in this report are; i) marriage, ii) the end of marriage, iii) the care of children, iv) spousal and child support, v) domestic violence and vi) property division after marriage or relationship breakdown. For each of the six areas this policy paper identifies; the current relevant law in the Cook Islands (or where there are gaps in the current laws) and the range of components that are essential to a comprehensive, good practice and CEDAW compliant civil Family Law Bill. For each component, the policy paper identifies a range of good practice approaches (based on international conventions to which the Cook Islands is a party including CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), international declarations and commentary, relevant academic literature and government and non-government reports). Finally, the paper provides a range of good practice examples that illustrate how differentcountries have approached each particular component or issue in their respective law(s). Where possible examples from Oceania have been chosen (Pacific Island countries and territories, New Zealand and Australia) but this publication also provides international comparison by drawing on examples from around the world that represent aspects of good practice in various laws of contemporary Cook Islander society, including national commitments to gender equality and the implementation of CEDAW

Document Type
Regions and Countries