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    Strengthening the Justice Houses: Closing the Gap Between Migrants, Refugees, and the Local Justice Systems in Colombia

    Jul 25, 2023

    4 min read

    Access to Justice Gender & Social Inclusion Human Rights Latin America & Caribbean Colombia
    Strengthening the Justice Houses: Closing the Gap Between Migrants, Refugees, and the Local Justice Systems in Colombia

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    During the implementation phase of the USAID-funded program in Colombia, Conectando Caminos por los Derechos (CCD), which was implemented by ABA ROLI in partnership with Pact International, Freedom House and Internews, ABA ROLI led the articulation with the Justice Houses–local justice systems created by the government to bridge the access to justice in the most vulnerable communities in Colombia. This Program, which ended on June 30, 2023, reaped successful results in its efforts to bridge the gap between vulnerable communities and institutional resources in targeted territories throughout the country. 

    Usually located in environments characterized by deeply rooted socioeconomic and judicial necessities and inequalities, Justice Houses aim to increase access to justice services and institutional resources by bringing these resources directly to the communities in need. Typically, Justice Houses are located in buildings that house other important government institutions, making it possible for government officials to attend to and refer the users within the same place, therefore reducing some of the barriers vulnerable communities face when attempting to access these institutions. Some of these institutions include the Attorney General’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Child Welfare Institute, Family Commissaries, Mediation Centers, and University Law Clinics, among others. 

    The articulation between ABA ROLI and the Justice Houses began in mid-2021, and since then, in less than two years, it flourished due to the joint implementation of multiple initiatives, both efficient and innovative, to close the gap between the migrants, refugees and the local justice systems in the cities of Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, and Bucaramanga. Among the initiatives, the Justice in your Neighborhood, a creation of the Justice Houses Protocols for the Access to Justice for migrant, refugee, and returnee population, and the National Meeting of Justice Houses in the Context of Migration are worth highlighting.

    Video for training Justice Houses public officials in implementing a migratory approach when attending migrants, refugees and returnees.

    Beginning in mid-2022, ABA ROLI led in partnership with the Justice Houses, Justice in your Neighborhood, a people-centered initiative to bring justice services to the most vulnerable and marginalized communities in the municipalities mentioned above, encouraging the building of trust between communities and justice sector institutions to adequately respond to human rights violations in the context of migration. More information about the Justice in your neighborhood initiative and ABA ROLI’s efforts to guarantee vulnerable communities’ access to justice can be found here.

    Cartagena, Colombia, December 2022.

    Justice in your Neighborhood service fair in the Nelson Mandela neighborhood

    Cartagena, Colombia, December 2022.

    Moreover, the creation of the Justice Houses Protocols for the Access to Justice for migrant, refugee, and returnee population were crucial for the strengthening of the Justice Houses. These Protocols served as a guide to adequately provide the migrant users access to justice services and institutional resources, bearing in mind the key human rights, gender, and differential approaches. Each Protocol was built considering:

    1. the context of migration and human rights of each city,
    2. the legal and justice necessities of the migrant population in the city, and
    3. the strengths and improvements of the city’s Justice Houses, in order to provide an assertive institutional response. It is expected that the Justice Houses Protocols for the Access to Justice for migrant, refugee, and returnee population will be institutionalized and implemented soon, which will underscore the sustainability of ABA ROLI’s efforts to guarantee access to justice for vulnerable communities in Colombia beyond the scope of the Program.

    Video for training Justice Houses public officials in the Step-by-Step Protocol of Attention.

    Finally, the partnership with the Justice Houses culminated in the National Meeting of Justice Houses in the Context of Migration on May 10, 2023. The main goal of the National Meeting was to share the challenges, lessons learned, and good practices of the Justice Houses in providing justice services to the migrant, refugee, and returnee population, as well as strengthen the cooperation between the Justice Houses from Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, and Bucaramanga in terms of the protection of migrant human rights and response to violations. Furthermore, during the National Meeting, educational and communicative material, such as pen drives, videos, and pamphlets, were shared to all the participants.

    Bogota D.C., Colombia. May 10th, 2023.

    Presentation of the challenges, lessons learned and good practices in the context of migration prepared by Justice Houses’ officials during the National Meeting

    Bogota D.C., Colombia. May 10th, 2023.

    Given to all participants of this event, the Key to Justice Toolbox contained all the documents and resources developed during the three-year period of the CCD program regarding identification and documentation of human rights violations, access to justice, and strategic litigation. Some of resources include the Universidad de Los Andes’ Migration Judicial Log, the Strategic Litigation Network (Red-LEM) report Annulation of civil registries and the cancellation of Colombian IDs, the CODHES Special Bulletin – Situation of Human Rights for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee population in Colombia, and training videos for public officials, among many others.

    Video for training Justice Houses public officials in Strategies for attention with a differential and human rights approach.

    As part of the educational and communicative material shared with the Justice Houses, the videos were a tool for the training of Justice House public officials to develop a migratory and human rights approach when attending a migrant or refugee user, therefore emphasizing the adequate use of language, activation of institutional routes, and identification of human rights violations, especially regarding Trafficking in Persons. These videos were also created considering the communities and users, as they can be used as a tool to learn about the role of the Justice Houses and identify the possible risks to human rights violations that are affecting them. The training videos addressed:

    1. Strategies for Attention with a differential and human rights approach,
    2. Migratory approach, concepts, and why a differentiated approach in needed,
    3. Step by step Protocol of Attention, and
    4. Protocol to identify Trafficking in Persons victims.

    Video for training Justice Houses public officials in identifying Trafficking in Persons victims and activating the institutional routes to respond adequately to this human rights violation.

    The successful articulation with, and between the Justice Houses is an example of the strengthening of local justice systems in the guarantee of access to justice for migrants, refugees, and returnees, for which ABA ROLI’s leadership was fundamental. From the Justice in your Neighborhood initiatives to the Justice Houses Protocols for the Access to Justice for migrant, refugee, and returnee population, and its culmination with the National Meeting of Justice Houses, ABA ROLI’s CCD Program proved successful in its efforts to close the gaps between the vulnerable communities and the justice systems.