By using the restorative justice approach framework, this article examines the customary bulubulu approach of resolving intimate partner violence (IPV) in Fiji. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey, to explore the views of 226 iTaukei people on the use of bulubulu to resolve partner violence. The research findings reveal that the decisions in the bulubulu process are made by elder male family members. At the same time, female survivors are rarely given a chance to speak, and women are pressured to accept the decision made and reconcile with their husbands/partners. Findings also reveal that the communal rights conflict with the victims’ individual rights, and the customary method violates women’s rights. Moreover, the findings indicate that, as a restorative justice approach, the bulubulu system is more beneficial to the family, community, and the clan rather than to the female survivor. The paper empirically and theoretically contributes to the literature on restorative justice in Fiji and the Pacific.
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