Emma Garo (also known as Emma Garo Ma’aramo) is a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and currently Chief Magistrate in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. She was one of the first qualified women lawyers in the country. Garo worked as a senior defense legal officer for the Public Solicitors Office in the Solomon Islands before being appointed a principal magistrate in 2007. In 2014 Garo was appointed a resident magistrate in the island state of

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

. When her contract was not renewed in 2017, there was some suspicion that this was due to government interference as Garo had sentenced a number of anti-government demonstrators during her tenure. Garo has also served as a magistrate and Deputy Chief Magistrate in the

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

Central Magistrates’ Court. In 2017 she was sworn in as the Chief Magistrate, becoming the first female Chief Magistrate in Solomon Islands. In 2018, Garo was named Woman of Courage. The United States Ambassador to Solomon Islands, Her Excellency Catherine Ebert-Gray presented the 2018 Woman of Courage Award to Garo in honor of her courage and bravery in advocating for women rights and the protection from domestic violence. Garo's exemplary actions include her assistance in facilitating the escape of an American citizen facing abuse from her husband and the prosecution of her own brother for beating his wife.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garo, Emma Living people Solomon Islands judges 20th-century Solomon Islands lawyers People from Guadalcanal Province Year of birth missing (living people) Women judges 21st-century Solomon Islands lawyers Solomon Islands women civil servants Solomon Islands civil servants