Family Protection Legal Aid Centre

This brings Australia’s total support in the last three years to the Centre to well over half a million Tongan pa’anga including COVID-19 grant support in 2020.

High Commissioner Adrian Morrison attended the signing ceremony of this grant and acknowledged the success of the Centre as a pilot project to what will now be a department of the Ministry of Justice starting 1 July 2021.

The Family Protection Legal Aid Centre opens today in Nuku'alofa and was established by the local Ministry of Justice and will operate within the Ministry's compound.

The Ministry's assistant secretary, 'Aunofo Aholelei, said the centre was a response to gaps found by key stakeholders of the Family Protection Act 2013.

Ms Aholelei said there had been no free legal services on offer to assist victims of domestic violence and there was a lack of services available for those living in the outer islands.

She said the centre was a way forward in addressing those gaps.