Understanding the Justice Gap

In the first part of the conference, the discussions focused on current concerns with access to justice. In his opening speech, Udo Jude Ilo, the CEO of HiiL, spoke to the audience about the negative impacts of inadequate access to justice on people. He said, “When justice fails, the world shakes.” Then, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, added that when justice fails, individuals themselves bear the cost. Thus, there are severe consequences when governments and other institutions fail to create equitable justice systems.

It is important people are empowered to seek justice because as Sylvia Namubiru Mukasa, the CEO of LASPNET (Legal Aid Service Providers’ Network) said, when there is greater access to justice, social cohesion increases. Increased access also leads to a reduction in conflict, as noted by Kees Matthijssen, a retired Lieutenant, General of the Royal Dutch Army. The benefits are vast, and therefore, it is important to make justice as accessible as possible.

The various speakers agreed that it is imperative to achieve a more consistently just system for all. While there is such a large justice gap, there is an unseen benefit: there are proven methods to increase access to justice that can be applied on a larger scale.

Reflecting on Successful Efforts

In the afternoon of the conference, various actors in the access to justice field discussed what efforts have successfully increased justice. HiiL proposed that these individual achievements have the power to become systemic change.

For example, Martha Koome, the Chief Justice and President of the Kenyan Supreme Court, discussed the work that has been done to address the long wait times for trials in Kenya. Facing a problem with court crowding, a Community Action Plan was created. As a result, computers were put at the courthouses to provide people with legal resources to solve issues on their own. These computers proved useful and helped to reduce the crowding problem. This effort provides an example of how to reduce justice gaps on a local level by engaging directly with the community.

Providing people with resources outside of the courtroom that match their needs can empower people to solve their own legal problems. Many speakers stated that to develop more tools of empowerment, organisations need more data and research to better understand the problems. The justice problem is a severe one. As Allyson Maynard Gibson, the Former Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs of The Bahamas said, two-thirds of the world face access to justice problems. When we better understand legal problems through data, people can develop more innovative solutions for communities.

Improving Access to Justice Going Forward

Many speakers noted the timeliness of the conference amidst today's severe injustice problems. In a time where governments are failing to recognize the importance of access to justice, learning about successful initiatives is even more meaningful.

One of the takeaways from the conference is that one organisation cannot solve all the justice problems on their own. There is a need for these organisations to share ideas and work together to build systems to reduce justice gaps. It is also important to receive input from communities themselves. Only through collaboration and grassroots initiatives can justice solutions be effective on a large scale.

From Nigeria to the Bahamas to the Netherlands, people came together at the Justice Matters conference to explore ways to close the justice gap by putting people at the centre of the conversation.