Ensuring the Right to Access to Justice through Free Legal Aid Service: Assessing Challenges and Prospects in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State

Abstract

Abstract

The right to access justice is one of the rights of human beings incorporated in different national and international human rights instruments. The right, when compared to other groups of human rights, is different in many ways. The main difference is that it is a bundle of rights that is vital in the enforcement of the rest of the rights. Absent the right to access to justice, it is hardly possible to ensure the implementation of the rest of human rights. On the other hand, the mere fact that the government makes justice institutions accessible doesn’t guarantee the realization of the right to access justice. There are still many factors that limit the members of the community from accessing justice. Economic &physical status, gender, and other different factors can make some members of the society less capable. This research, hence, is aimed at evaluating the challenges and opportunities in the Benishangul Gumuz Region in terms of ensuring access to justice.  In particular, the research identifies the extent of demand for free legal aid services in the region and the degree to which these demands are being met. The research identifies available legal frameworks in the provision of free legal aid services to the indigent /vulnerable/ groups of society. Moreover, the research, based on empirical data, will identify factors that have limited the vulnerable group from accessing the service providers as well as factors that limited free legal aid service providers from accessing the beneficiaries.