ACCESS TO JUSTICE

In Uganda, women’s access to justice on land and other natural resources remains a significant challenge. However, little is known about the extent of obstacles that rural women must overcome to obtain justice on land other natural resources. 

Due to their illiteracy, the majority of rural women in northern Uganda lack basic access to legal counseling, representation, and aid in court. As a result, they have to rely largely on court translators and are unable to speak English (the official language for formal litigation in Uganda).

Goteo-Uganda works with formal and informal justice systems in Uganda to:-

·        Address the structural gender inequalities that prevents rural women from accessing justice on land matters.

·        Engage the judiciary, police, human rights volunteers, culture and religious institutions including the local government offices and line ministries

·        Support the formal and informal land justice system and other mandated institutions to support women’s access to land and natural resource justice.

·        Build capacities of various state actors to provide justice for survivors of land rights violation and abuse including gender-based violence.

·        Conduct trainings for informal land dispute resolution actors (traditional chiefs and members of the council) on ADR, arbitration and reconciliation skills including women’s access to justice and mobilize women to advocate for the representation of women in informal courts.