The rule of law and human rights of all people are core tenet of our modern democracy and having access to justice, is an important part of protecting those rights.
However, the justice system doesn’t always work well for everyone and sometimes people can’t get access to justice. Some community sections are much more vulnerable than others.
Access to justice might include:
- Getting the right information about the law and how it applies to you;
- Understanding when you have a legal problem and knowing what to do about it;
- Getting the right help with a legal problem, including from a lawyer;
- Being able to deal with your legal problem and being able to understand the outcome; and
- Making sure your voice is heard when laws are made.
Access to Justice, a basic principle of rule of law, is a fundamental right of every citizen. Justice is every person’s indispensable need and no one can be abstained or objected from seeking justice or exercising their rights for justice.
Law has stressed the right of equal access to justice to every citizen, including vulnerable and marginalized groups. Every nation should deliver justice in an impartial and non-discriminatory manner.
Access to justice comprises of legal awareness, legal protection, adjudication, legal aid, enforcement and civil society oversight. It supports peace by focusing its citizens into providing remedy for resolving personal and political issues and disputes.
It is a prime importance for each concerned bodies of the state to continue their effort into making dispute resolution process easy, affordable, prompt and accessible to every citizen, especially for those who cannot have access to justice due to physical, mental, social and financial reasons.
Effective access to justice can be seen as the most basic requirement, the most basic human right, of a system which purports to guarantee legal rights.”Access to justice means being treated fairly according to the law.”