Overview of Human Rights in Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu is a multi-party parliamentary democracy.  Elections have been considered free and fair by international monitors. The government works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens; however there are some areas where problems still remain. The government is plagued by corruption. The criminal and judicial systems also have a few areas of concern. Arbitrary arrest and detention as well as arrest without warrants continue to occur. Prison conditions are harsh. The judiciary is considered adept albeit extremely slow.  That said, Vanuatu still enjoys one of the world's best records of human rights.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

119th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.