by Ruhamah Ifere Women and girls are on the run for their lives in Nigeria.  This is alarmingly so because in 2023, 30 million women and girls are still experiencing gender based violence in the country according to Action Aid. One in two women report that they or a woman they know have experienced violence …

Gender based violence: Rape; Clearing the fog Read More »

It is three years since a devastating fire rocked Jamaica’s juvenile justice system. Yet the real lessons of the incident, which claimed the lives of five girls, are still not fully understood, writes Commonwealth Correspondent Alexis Goffe.  The fire at Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre on May 22, 2009, should have transformed Jamaica’s Juvenile Justice System. It …

“Gross neglect towards children in state care has become engrained” Read More »

It is three years since a devastating fire rocked Jamaica’s juvenile justice system. Yet the real lessons of the incident, which claimed the lives of five girls, are still not fully understood, writes Commonwealth Correspondent Alexis Goffe.  The fire at Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre on May 22, 2009, should have transformed Jamaica’s Juvenile Justice System. It …

"Gross neglect towards children in state care has become engrained" Read More »

The majority of people live under policies made by a minority, writes Eric Omwanda, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nairobi in Kenya, who says the injustices that can result must be remedied. Today as I walk down the streets of Mathare slums, I am touring part of my beloved country. I know that I should never …

"Combating injustice through tolerance and honesty" Read More »

The disappearance of an important witness has raised important questions about the country’s committment to pursuing justice, writes Judith Akoth, 23, a Correspondent from Kisumu in Kenya. The disappearance of International Criminal Court ‘witness’ Meshack Yebei has raised many questions about the level of commitment by the Kenyan Government to provide witness protection as a State …

"When the scales of justice topple, justice is denied" Read More »

Investigative reporting has focused attention on the justice system, writes Michael Gyekye, 22, a Correspondent from Koforidua in Ghana, but also provides an opportunity to examine issues and rebuild credibility.  Scintillating verses with a captivating rhythm opened one of several reports of alleged widespread institutionalized corruption bedevilling Ghana’s judiciary, making justice administration in the country little less …

“Corruption would make mockery of justice” Read More »

A controversy over retirement age of judges has provoked a political debate, writes Brian Dan Migowe, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kenya, who argues for open minds and a review of the law around appointments to the Judiciary. Chapter Ten of Kenya’s Constitution establishes the Judiciary. The Judiciary gets its authority from the people of Kenya. It exercises …

“A paradox of debate over retirement age” Read More »

Access to justice is a fundamental human right, but as Mahdy Hassan, 24, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh explains, gaining that access is not an easy task. That’s where an innovative legal aid programme can  help. Let me tell you a story of a 24-year-old Bangladeshi single mother of two children, who was dismissed …

“Legal aid ensures access to justice” Read More »

Courts and lawyers are the platforms and providers of justice, writes Sugandha Parmar, 22, a Correspondent in Kanpur, India, but globally,  justice for the poor is very different from justice for others.  Prof. Mohan Gopal, director of the National Judicial Academy, says that anywhere in the world, poor and middle class hardly get justice. I recently …

“Reforming justice to assist the poor” Read More »

Mahdy Hassan, 24, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, looks at an initiative in Bangladesh aimed at easing courtroom backlogs and delays that can hamper access to justice. He argues that Alternative Dispute Resolution brings justice in a variety of cases, and should be widely incorporated in the legal system. The Judiciary of Bangladesh is deadlocked …

“Bangladesh has solution for access to justice” Read More »