Honourable Justice Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson
Supreme Court of Samoa
A born and bred Samoan matai, Justice Vui is currently serving as the Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Samoa. He has been a judiciary reformer and tireless advocate of human rights throughout his career, particularly on behalf of children. Justice Vui was behind the first Pacific-based Young Offenders Act and Community Justice Act, established the Samoa Youth Court and Olomanu Centre to house and rehabilitate young people in conflict with the law.
He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG); a group formed to support victims especially child victims of GBV, domestic violence and sexual assault. He recently spearheaded the campaign for a Sex Offenders Registry for child molesters culminating in the Sex Offenders Registration Act 2017.
Having worked closely with UNICEF Pacific, Justice Nelson is well known internationally for his work and efforts to advance the status of children’s rights in the Pacific Region. He was the first and to date the only Pacific Islander to be appointed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva where he served two terms (8 years) including as Vice-Chair of the Committee.
When receiving his doctorate from his alma mater, he was described as someone who “has demonstrably contributed to the well-being and betterment of society in Samoa, the Pacific and beyond.” Justice Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson holds an LLB and an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
