Centering on cases of sexual violence, this book illuminates the contested introduction of British and French colonial criminal justice in the Pacific Islands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu/New Hebrides. It foregrounds the experiences of Indigenous Islanders and indentured laborers in the colonial court system, a space in which marginalized voices entered the historical record. Rape and sexual assault trials reveal how hierarchies of race, gender and status all shaped the practice of colonial law in the courtroom and the gendered experiences of colonialism. Trials provided a space where men and women narrated their own story and at times challenged the operation of colonial law. Through these cases, Gender, Violence and Criminal Justice in the Colonial Pacific highlights the extent to which colonial bureaucracies engaged with and affected private lives, as well as the varied ways in which individuals and communities responded to such intrusions and themselves reshaped legal practices and institutions in the Pacific. With bureaucratic institutions unable to deal with the complex realities of colonial lives, Stevens reveals how the courtroom often became a theatrical space in which authority was performed, deliberately obscuring the more complex and violent practices that were central to both colonialism and colonial law-making. Exploring the intersections of legal pluralism and local pragmatism across British and French colonialization in the Pacific, this book shows how island communities and early colonial administrators adopted diverse and flexible approaches towards criminal justice, pursuing alternative forms of justice ranging from unofficial courts to punitive violence in order to deal with cases of sexual assault.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Haley is ready to embrace all that life has to offer. Her adventure begins when she starts talking to Gavin-a guy she knew in high school. She is intrigued by the church he is attending, which seems to have changed his life. But soon, she begins to see a darker side of him. With the help of his coworker, Clark, she unravels the mystery behind Gavin's dark secrets. Clark brings Haley to the church Gavin was attending, and she starts getting involved. She introduces her sister, Madison, to the church, and Madison is miraculously touched by God. They are invited to lavish outings with the church, but rumors begin to surface about affairs and hidden secrets. The leaders of the church force members to talk about personal information, and Haley starts feeling uncomfortable. Haley's mother thinks the church is a little extreme, but Haley isn't worried because the leaders warned her that people might try to tell her that. With the help of a trusted Professor, Haley discovers that the church really might be dangerous. Now she must devise a way to break the news to Madison, who was deceived into thinking the devil is working through anyone who tries to take her away from the church. She hopes to save her sister before it's too late.