By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) and the US-based Carter Center (TCC) have been reviewing its intervention in Access to Justice work in Liberia, as a means of improving this program.
Both institutions, have been partnering to build peace in Liberia for many years now, have been hold holding a three-day retreat in the northwestern city of Voinjama, Lofa County.
The First 2019 three-day regional retreat started on Monday March 18, 2019 at the Village Development Fund (VDF) training center in the Lofa capital city.
JPC National Director Father McDonough told the local community station here, Radio Kintoma that the retreat is intended to enable the both institutions review their activities under the Access to Justice Program across Liberia.
He said the retreat is a normally held in Monrovia, the Northern region and the Southeastern region.
Father McDonough disclosed that at these retreats, the JPC and the Carter Center look at the goals, objectives and expectations of their projects and the implementation plans as well.
Committing on achievement of the Access to Justice Program in Liberia, Father McDonough said the JPC has been able to resolve a total of eleven thousand cases across Liberia.
He also named the lack of interest from some citizens to continue their cases as one major challenge facing the JPC Community Justice Advisors.
Some key documents reviewed during the three days central regional retreat include the Land Rights Act of 2018 with emphasis on Private Land ownership, Understanding Mediation procedure and the role of a mediator, the Decent Work Law-contract and Leaves, Functions of Magisterial courts with emphasis on the roles of court staff and the Local Government Act.
Others are the Criminal Justice System-Bail Bond Calculation, Understanding Conflict and Peace and the Criminal Conveyance of Land Act.
For more than 10 years, The Carter Center and the Catholic JPC have worked to build peace and prevent violence by helping the government ensure justice for all Liberian citizens, not just those who can afford it.
Studies have shown that at the end of the war in 2003, the justice system was in ruins and its credibility in tatters.
A lack of human, material, and financial resources severely hampered the administration and delivery of justice.
A critical element of Liberia’s long-term reconstruction, therefore, has been to re-establish the rule of law and rebuild trust in government.
For justice to be served, citizens must understand and exercise their rights, and those who administer justice must be properly trained, equipped, and resourced.
At the invitation of the government, The Carter Center and the JPC have since 2006 implemented an Access to Justice Project to help address these critical needs, particularly focusing on historically marginalized rural communities.
In the immediate aftermath of the civil war, the Access to Justice Project partnered with the Ministry of Justice to identify rural justice needs, develop and implement civic education messages, and fill immediate short-term gaps to strengthen the formal justice system.
Over time, this innovative project has expanded, partnering with government and civil society to deliver sustained impact. It currently works to strengthen the quality and accessibility of justice and prevent violence in Liberia while the JPC as a major partner was established by the Catholic Church in Liberia in 1991 under the Sheperdship of late Archbishop Francis as a non-governmental organization (NGO).