access to justice in central asia
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Access to Justice in Central Asia. Caucasus Research Resource Centers Summary Results Presented by: Dr George Welton Work (not really) in Progress 6 th April 2011. Research components. Literature review of background materials on A2J in CA and A2J research strategies Expert interviews - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Access to Justice in Central Asia
Caucasus Research Resource Centers Summary Results
Presented by: Dr George WeltonWork (not really) in Progress
6th April 2011
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Research components
• Literature review of background materials on A2J in CA and A2J research strategies
• Expert interviews– 74 expert interviews and follow-ups covering 49
organizations– Stakeholder involvement at multiple levels
• Nationwide surveys• 9 focus groups concentrating on vulnerable
women and youth
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Survey• Survey in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan• Designed and overseen by CRRC, conducted
by M-Vector• Nationally representative – with certain
caveats – Some areas inaccessible and language problems
• Total of 1926 interviews conducted
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Quick background
CountryPopulation
(million)Surface area
(km2)
GDP per capita (PPP)
USD
Rural population (% of total)
Agriculture as % of GDP
Kazakhstan 15.8 2 724 900 11 510 42% 6%
Kyrgyzstan 5 .3 199 950 2 283 64% 29%
Tajikistan 7 142 550 1 972 74% 22%
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Pre-weighted profile of respondents (%)Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
Women 59 54 52Ethnic national 52 78 83Married 57 71 80Completed secondary education or higher 89 94 77Work 56 40 34Less than $100 per month 42 66 80Employment in private sector 23 12 2Employment in public sector 19 17 24
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Structure of the presentation
• Problems
• Different mechanisms for resolving dispute
• The six barriers to justice
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Theft
Problem divorce
Violent crim
e
Document r
egistration
Violence in
the home
Dispute
s ove
r inherit
ance
Dispute
s with
officials o
ver land or p
roperty
Disputes w
ith officia
ls ove
r oth
er issu
es
Dispute
s with
neighbours over la
nd
16 9 5 11 4 5 4 2 2
4443 42 28
26 24 21 205
Problems deemed common in Kazakhstan (%)
Very common Common
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Theft
Document r
egistration
Problem divorce
Disputes w
ith officia
ls ove
r land or p
roperty
Violent crim
e
Dispute
s with
officials o
ver oth
er issu
es
Violence in
the home
Disputes o
ver inherit
ance
Dispute
s with
neighbours over la
nd
21 18 11 15 12 13 9 7 5
32 29 32 24 26 2421 19 20
Problems deemed common in Kyr-gyzstan (%)
Very common Common
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Problem divorce
Document r
egistration
Violence in
the home
Theft
Dispute
s with
neighbours over la
nd
Dispute
s ove
r inherit
ance
Dispute
s with
officials o
ver land or p
roperty
Disputes w
ith officia
ls over o
ther is
sues
Violent crim
e3 4 1 2 2 1 2 1 1
14 11 11 10 8 9 8 7 7
Problems deemed common in Tajikistan (%)
Very common Common
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Biggest problems in each countryProblem Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
1 Theft Theft Problem divorce
2 Problem divorce Document registration
Document registration
3 Violent crime Problem divorce Violence in the home
4 Document registration
Problem with officials over land or property
Theft
5 Violence in the home
Violent crime Dispute over land or property (neighbor, family or state)
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Problems facing particular groups
• Women– Education– Domestic violence– Registration of marriage and property– Fair treatment in the event of divorce
• Young people– Education– Employment– Crime
• People with disabilities– Knowledge of rights– Enforcement of the law– Physical access to facilities (Braille and wheelchair access)
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4 1 0 69 5 1 09 8 4 2
Over the past five years which institution have you addressed to resolve a legal issue (%)
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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22 20 2235 28
620
39
14
Why did you choose an informal rather than a formal authority? (%)
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Head of village or local government official
Court Police Village/community Elders
19
55
71
39
2113 13
30
2012
31
What is the most likely authority to which a person would take her dispute with a neighbor over land?
(%)Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Lawyer/legal
aid center
Police
Village/co
mmunity Elders
Women's counse
l
Head of villa
ge or loca
l gove
rnment officia
l
4530
0 3 1
48
14 10 7 6
40
16 244 7
If a woman is being unfairly treated by her husband in a process of divorce and decides to seek help from an outside
authority, to whom is she most likely to go for help? (%)
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Police
Local
Court
Women's Counse
l
Village/co
mmunity Elders
Local
Religious l
eaders
Head of villa
ge or loca
l gove
rnment officia
l
66
142 0 0 1
37
2110 8
2 2
2128
5
23
110
Except relatives, what is the most likely authority to which a woman would go if she has been beaten by a member of her fam-
ily? (%)Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Barriers to Justice1. Unwillingness to involve others in solving
disputes2. Poor knowledge of the law3. Lack of resources4. Practical hurdles to using the courts5. Corruption6. Structural bias in the legal system
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Barrier to justice 1Unwillingness to involve others in
resolving disputes
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75 76 7778 7385
59 5466
People who say you should involve an external authority to... (%)
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
80 77
52
69 69
56
People who say that a woman who is being beaten by a member of her family should
involve an external authority to stop it (%)Female Male
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Domestic issues are particularly sensitive…
“There is a saying that good wives do not take the garbage out of the house nor do they leave.”
Lecturer, 26, married, Issik-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
“I think rural women are brought up that way. My grandmother would always tell me: ‘You need to, be tolerant. We women are created for a family. If the husband brings something, be thankful. If he is handsome, if he is ugly, accept and be thankful. When he beats you also be thankful that you are married. If he divorces you or you become a widow then no one will respect you.’”
Teacher, 56, widow, Tursun-Zadeh, Tajikistan
“In the village, if a woman walks around with bruises, everyone says it is her own fault.”
Housewife, 22, married, Chilik, Kazakhstan
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Some fear involving authorities for other reasons…
• Women feel their rights are ignored “Only men have rights. Women do not have rights. Women are unprotected and
attract general abuse.” Housewife, 30, married, Kara-Balta, Kyrgyzstan
• Some young people may feel that they will get into trouble “Even if the guy from the city is guilty, they [the police] can still blame the one from
Novostroyka.” College student, 20, male, Novostroyka in Kyrgyzstan
“Some say ‘if you end up there [the police], you will admit that you killed Lenin.’ It is the case in reality. I was tortured and beaten. They were telling me about the little children that have gone missing in Dushanbe. And then they put a gun in front of me and told me if I don’t tell them that I did that, they will shoot me dead. ”
Student, 18, male, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
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Barrier to justice 2Poor knowledge of the law
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50 5645
90
43
74
47
90
3121
4464
Knowledge of legal issues (%)Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
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Low levels of knowledge affect certain groups harder
• Women in rural areas “I didn’t know about my rights before coming to this center. It turns out as a woman I also have rights.”
Hairdresser, 45, divorced, Pokrovka, Tajikistan
• OrphansMay have rights to property but lose them because they do not know about their rights.
• Disabled“Only 10 percent out of 100 percent of disabled women would know their
rights.”Information manager, Shyrak Association of Disabled Women, Kazakhstan
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Barrier to justice 3Lack of resources
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Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
18
2821
60
33
21
People who know where to get legal consultation (%)
Free legal consultations Affordable legal consultations
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• High levels of poverty• Even where resources available, there is little
inclination to risk them • Criminal defense is (usually) offered by the state
but quality is low• Women vulnerable– Women lack independent sources of income– Easy for husband to avoid child support and splitting
property even when judgment is made
Reason for low use of legal problem resolution
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• High levels of poverty• Even where resources available, there is little
inclination to risk them • Criminal defense is (usually) offered by the state
but quality is low• Women vulnerable– Women lack independent sources of income– Easy for husband to avoid child support and splitting
property even when judgment is made
Reason for low use of legal problem resolution
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Barrier to justice 4Practical hurdles to using the
courts
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Number and distribution of lawyers by region in Kyrgyzstan (2003)
Region Population No of advocates
No of trained advocates per
10,000 populationBishkek City 762, 300 611 8.0Batken Oblast 382, 400 15 0.4Jalal-Abad Oblast 869,300 112 1.3Issyk-Kul Oblast 413,100 53 1.3Naryn Oblast 249,100 26 1.0Osh Oblast 1,175,900 226 1.9Talas Oblast 199,900 27 1.4Chui Oblast 770,800 112 1.5Total 4,822,000 1192 2.5Ref: American Bar Association (2004), Legal Profession Reform Index: Kyrgyzstan, Washington, USA p. 35
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Number of Licensed Collegium Advocates in the Regions of Tajikistan (2005)
Region Population No of advocates
No of trained advocates per
10,000 population
Dushanbe 619,400 184 2.97
Sogd Oblast 1,992,600 149 0.75Raions of Republican Subordination
1,467,600 41 0.28
Khalton Oblast 2,344,600 47 0.21
GBAO 215,800 2 0.09
Total 6,640,000 423 0.64
Ref: Originally prepared by Alternative NGO Report (2005) to the United National Human Rights Committee in Relation to the Examination of the Initial Report by the Republic of Tajikistan on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. American Bar Association. (2006). Legal Profession Reform Index: Tajikistan. Washington, USA. P. 33.
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Lack of Documentation• Propiska or passport – missing from vulnerable
groups and internal migrants. Needed.. – to take a case to court– to interact with government (for social protection)– to get married or register a new child
• Marriage license – needed to ensure that if there is separation then:– child support– right to marital property
• Proper registration of child – needed for child support
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Examples from focus groups of problems in documentation
“I have been living and having children without a passport. When the person does not have an education, she does not realize that she needs documents.”
Hairdresser, 45, divorced, Pokrovka, Kyrgyzstan
“In the village, many people live without documents until their death. When you want to run away from abuse, you can’t go anywhere without documents.”
Lecturer, 26, married, Issik-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
“My daughter is married. She has two children; the eldest is five years old already. She lives with her husband but does not have official registration.”
Cashier, 51, married, Shakhrinev, Tajikistan
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Barrier to justice 5Corruption
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Least trusted institutions by countryLeast Trusted
InstitutionKazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
1 Police Judges Religious institutions
2 Religious institutions
Legal system NGOs
3 Judges Police Banks
4 Legal system Prosecutors office Local government
5 Health-care system Religious institutions
Police
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Objective
Uncorrupt
Quick
Affordable
Competent
11
6
6
8
14
36
18
23
28
41
31
37
39
35
25
7
24
15
8
6
15
14
16
20
13
In resolving disputes, Kazakhstan's court system is... (%)
Fully agreeAgreeDisagreeFully disagreeDK
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Objective
Uncorrupt
Quick
Affordable
Competent
4
1
2
2
2
26
12
21
15
27
39
46
41
39
37
14
27
16
18
15
16
13
19
25
19
In resolving disputes, Kyrgyzstan's court system is... (%)
Fully agreeAgreeDisagreeFully disagreeDK
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Competent
Affordable
Quick
Uncorrupt
Objective
31
21
25
12
35
43
43
13
37
41
9
17
37
17
7
2
3
14
5
2
11
15
6
24
14
In resolving disputes, Tajikistan's court system is... (%)
Fully agreeAgreeDisagreeFully disagreeDK
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Experience of corruption
“The police will not do anything unless you give them money. Money decides everything now. It is unfair. If they find the one who was guilty then that person pays money. The one who addressed the police, who is the victim, will be named guilty.”
Young person, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
“Imagine criminals the who attacked me, I go to the police and there is no point. Even if they get arrested, they will be let free in any case. They are criminals, they have money and connections.”
Young person, Novostroika, Almaty, Kazakhstan
“Even if the police take him away, in our village if he has 200 Som, they let him go. He comes back home and starts beating you more.”
Housewife, 30, married, Kara-Balta, Kyrgyzstan
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Access to JusticeBarrier 6
Structural bias in the legal system
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Power of the state/prosecutor in legal affairs• Power of the prosecutor
– To decide upon pre-trial detention (effectively, even if not in law)– Prime mover in collection of evidence and presentation of the
case– High conviction rates
• Weakness of Judge– Lack of independence (not just corruption)– Lack of training
• Weakness and low skills of defense– Defense has few rights– Often dependent on the court for payment– Low level of professionalism
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Other sources of bias reported in the literature
• Classification of cases– Administrative cases have fewer protections but can involve jail time– ‘Reconciliation’ (specifically in Kazakhstan) for particular cases tends to be used
in domestic cases
• The use of informal law– Aksakal courts (Kyrgyzstan) and Mahalla councils (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)
tend to prefer reconciliation to conservative solutions– Informal courts are often ignorant of formal law
• Police and prosecutors judged on conviction rates– Do not like to take domestic cases that might collapse– Incentive to pursue conviction rather than justice
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Conclusion
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Key Findings• Main problems:– theft– land issues– problem divorce– domestic violence
• The picture is varied and non-obvious so continuing research is needed.
• Non-formal channels often used:– Government officials (all three countries)– Village elders (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)
• Resource, knowledge and access issues more prominent in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
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Suggestive specific interventions
Barrier Activity Particular countries
1/ Unwillingness
3/ Knowledge Legal education Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
2/ ResourcesFree or subsidized legal services Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
5/ Practical barriers Legal outreach Kyrgystan and Tajikistan
Education and advertising drive for formal marriage registration Tajikistan
6/ Structural biases Look at 'reconciliation' process Kazakhstan
Training for aksakal councils Kyrgyzstan
Training for mahalla councils Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
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Suggestive general interventions
Barrier Activity Who it assists
2/ Trust Macro-reform to legal system EveryoneAssisting in the establishment of youth-oriented judicial processes and training Youth
Investigative training of police Everyone
5/ Practical hurdles Advocate for reforms to propiska system Internal migrants
Assistance for unregistered migrants Internal migrants
6/ Structural biasesTraining for local government officials on land and family law
Women and rural communities
Make child support payments and property division harder to avoid Women
Advocate and train on issues relating to domestic violence across all legal professionals Women
Advocate and train on equality and access issues PWDs