The WJP is an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law worldwide.
We engage advocates from across the globe and from multiple work disciplines to advance the rule of law.
Informal Justice (Factor 9)* concerns the role played in many countries by customary and ‘informal’ systems of justice – including traditional, tribal, and religious courts, and community-based systems – in resolving disputes. These systems often play a large role in cultures in which formal legal institutions fail to provide effective remedies for large segments of the population, or when formal institutions are perceived as remote, corrupt, or ineffective. This factor covers three concepts: whether these dispute resolution systems are timely and effective (9.1), whether they are impartial and free of improper influence (9.2), and the extent to which these systems respect and protect fundamental rights (9.3)
* Informal Justice is not included in the WJP Rule of Law Index. While WJP has devoted significant effort to collecting data on informal justice in a dozen countries, the complexities of these systems and the difficulties of measuring their fairness and effectiveness in a manner that is both systematic and comparable across countries, make assessments extraordinarily challenging. That is why although we have collected data on this dimension, they are not included in the aggregated Index scores and rankings.
Founded in 1949, the Hong Kong Bar Association is the professional organization of barristers in Hong Kong. It considers and takes proper action on all matters affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.
Produces reports and tries to find innovative ways of encouraging civic participation, integration and goverment monitoring through citizen initiatives.
Marginalized groups in Malawi face significant obstacles in accessing the formal justice system, particularly because of congested courts and a lack of pro-bono lawyers. This program addressed these ...
This ongoing program is focused on monitoring judicial corruption in Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya by partnering with local university law clinics to conduct street law trainings in marginalized ...
Decades of military rule have severely damaged judicial institutions that are vital to protecting the rule of law and human rights in Myanmar. To address the lack of judicial independence and ...
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia mobilizes public and private resources to help citizens participate in building their future by strengthening their communities and improving their civic and ...
Among African countries that still criminalize homosexual acts, Cameroon has one of the highest arrest and prosecution rates of LGBTI persons. To combat intolerance and homophobia in Cameroon, ASF ...
Women and children in the slums of Nairobi lack access to the legal services and documentation needed to access education, healthcare, and to protect their small businesses and property rights. To ...
There are only three formal and permanent courts between the 83 islands of Vanuatu, and over 80 percent of Ni-Vanuatu relies on customary justice systems. However, most chiefs responsible for ...
To provide Iraqi entrepreneurs with guidance and tools for starting a business, INI developed a handbook on small business registration. The handbook was designed to provide information on laws and ...
In order to ensure that all sectors of Moroccan society understand how to navigate the formal justice system and use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, CIMAR organized a series of trainings ...
Zambia faces many systemic challenges to strengthening the rule of law as it relates to police brutality, police corruption and accountability, and gender-based violence. As the first step towards ...
Kivalina is an indigenous whaling community off the northwest coast of Alaska, whose future is threatened by rising sea levels. This program created a series of physical models representing the ...
The Migrant Justice Project was designed to address migrant workers’ fundamental rights and expand Justice Venture International’s outreach to migrant workers in Beijing. Program activities included ...
The project aims to fill a gap in research on this topic by examining the nature and scope of statelessness in the United States.
This program seeks to address the violations of the Rule of Law for Colombia’s campesino population's exposure to the aerial fumigation of the coca plant, violating their territorial sovereignty.
Few Kenyan communities understand their environmental rights and responsibilities under the existing policies and laws. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness is only going to increase as most of these ...
The AJCC created a Youth Parliament to address an increase in youth crime rates in Israel, as well as the conflict between Jewish and Arab youth populations. Thirty Arab and Jewish youth from ...