Tool 2: Policing and Gender
access to justice and/or specific justice concerns are reached, such as women, and in
particular those from marginalized groups and living in rural or remote locations.
Being responsive to context also means attending to low levels of literacy, for example,
and ensuring guidelines and informational materials are easily understood (not
least because high levels of poverty may mean that many people do not have legal
representation, so awareness of the guidelines is particularly important). Contextspecificity involves being able to adapt to institutional and political conditions and
calibrate ambitions for change accordingly, while ensuring adherence to the principle
of doing no harm.
1. This case study is based upon an interview with Louise Simonsen Aaen, INL Project Manager, UNDP Sierra Leone
(4 July 2018, via Skype). The project was implemented by the Judiciary of Sierra Leone and UNDP in partnership,
and funded by the US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Case study 3: Increasing access to justice for survivors of GBV
(Iraq)
Since 2012, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the UNDP, alongside local NGOs and other
organizations, has been supporting legal aid and referral services for displaced survivors
of GBV, including conflict-related sexual violence. Legal aid centres inside the main camps
for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees house social workers and lawyers,
providing psychosocial support as well as legal advice and support under one roof. They
can also make direct referrals to other services, such as health service providers, livelihood
programmes, child protection organizations and camp management. A mobile legal team
provides legal advice and support for IDPs and refugees outside camps. The legal aid centres
assist male as well as female survivors of GBV, which has helped avoid stigma associated
with visiting a centre.
Alongside these services, since 2017 hundreds of awareness-raising events have been
conducted in and outside camps, highlighting issues such as GBV, conflict-related sexual
violence and child marriage (what it is, how it can be prevented and who to contact if
someone needs help regarding such issues). These events target the whole community, not
just women and girls, which is necessary if such events are to be successful in influencing
attitudes and beliefs.
Image: © UNDP Iraq/
Martins/2016.
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