11 May - A study performed in three Guinea-Bissau regions by the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) shows that women, children and vulnerable people living far away from state justice structures are the most vulnerable groups with regard to accessing justice.

According to the study conducted in Cacheu, Oio and Bissau, with contributions from UNICEF, UN Women, UNIOGBIS and the European Union, "those arbitrarily arrested" are also among the most vulnerable groups to access justice.

The document was officially presented today in Bissau in a ceremony chaired by Bissau-Guinean minister of Justice, Mamadu Djalo Pires and UNDP Resident Representative ai, Lalao Raharisoa. The minister stated that the report "is a starting point for changes within the sector of justice" while reminding some concrete measures already taken by the Government to improve the access to justice.

While considering access to justice as "probably the most crucial for the strengthening sector strategy", Lalao Raharisoa noted that "justice should be provided to those who more need it - the groups less protected for several reasons -, women, children and those who are "arbitrarily arrested without access to a lawyer and ignoring the reasons of their detention".

According to the report, the limited access to justice "is primarily due to the economic and social context of Guinea-Bissau, which is reflected on the insufficiency of state structures close to the communities and dedicated to protecting vulnerable groups, the economic paucity and the low level of education of the population." "Additionally, the population clearly lacks juridical awareness, and at the same time there is scarce knowledge about how the state justice system operates, legislative guidelines that are outdated and stray from the Bissau-Guinean reality, and still the global deficiency of articulation mechanisms among all studied actors - state justice, traditional authorities, NGOs and base associations."

The report recommends the reinforcement of the State presence (courts, police stations of the Department of Justice and police squads) as well as the creation of structures to protect women and children.