Decolonising Justice: A Scoping Review of Access to Justice in Least Developed Small Island States
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Queensland University of Technology
Australia -
Australia
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Queensland University of Technology Australia
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Queensland University of Technology Australia
Abstract
The establishment of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) has placed an emphasis on access to justice, yet its meaning and application in least developed small island states (LDSIS) remains poorly understood. This article presents a scoping review of academic and grey literature on access to justice in LDSIS, with a particular focus on how justice is conceptualised, delivered and experienced in relation to SDG 16. A significant finding of the review is the shallow and fragmented nature of the existing literature: much of it comes from donor reports and multilateral organisations such as the United Nations, with limited in-depth, locally grounded research. This limits the field’s ability to engage critically with how justice is experienced on the ground. Although SDG 16 has elevated global attention to justice and the rule of law, the review finds a disconnect between international policy frameworks and the lived realities of justice in LDSIS in particular, with limited attention paid to informal justice systems. The article concludes by outlining key evidence gaps and proposing a research agenda that centres context, and everyday practices of justice in LDSIS.
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Author Biographies
Dr Sarah Warner is a Lecturer in Policy and Politics at the Queensland University of Technology and a member of QUT’s Indo-Pacific Research Group. Her research examines how governing is negotiated in practice, particularly where policy, institutions and everyday political life intersect. This includes work on governance and political practice in the Indo-Pacific, especially Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, and research on the political dimensions of public policy and administration.
AustraliaDr Nyasha Mutongwizo is a researcher and practitioner with over a decade of experience across academia, development, humanitarian programming, and gender and youth-focused initiatives. Her work focuses on human security, access to justice, and the everyday experiences of violence and governance in fragile and developing contexts, particularly in the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa. Nyasha has contributed to research on domestic and family violence responses, and justice pathways in small island developing states. She has extensive experience in qualitative research design, stakeholder engagement, postgraduate curriculum design and policy-relevant analysis. Nyasha holds a PhD from the Queensland University of Technology, where her research examined unconventional socio-political engagement by marginalised youth in authoritarian contexts, with a focus on Zimbabwe. Her work centres on amplifying marginalised voices to inform policy and practice.
Dr. Lana Elliott is a health policy and systems academic with a background in global health and political science. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health and Social Work and an Affiliated Investigator with the QUT Centre for Justice.
With transdisciplinary training in human rights, international relations, and global health, Dr. Elliott's research is focused on advancing health equity by addressing political and power struggles embedded within our health systems. She is currently involved in several research projects aimed at strengthening health systems and population health outcomes (particularly in low-resource and remote settings) through enhanced policymaking and governance capacities.
Dr. Elliott has been engaged in health research, policy and practice in the Pacific for more than a decade. She lived and worked in Vanuatu for a number of years before joining QUT, and has since supported governments across Melanesia in strengthening their health systems.
Danielle Watson is an Associate Professor and Academic Lead Research in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology. Her research focuses on Pacific regional security, border security and policing. She conducts research on (in)security in Pacific Island countries, capacity building for security service providers, recruitment and training as well as many other areas specific to improving security governance in developing country contexts.