[{"bbox": [97, 152, 1135, 313], "category": "Text", "text": "**Weak capacity of judges and lawyers:** there is a need for skills development programmes for judges, advocates and prosecutors, including on laws and procedures (especially those working in remote islands) and on efficient case management, on thematic areas which require specialized technical expertise (ex: plea bargaining, financial crimes and assets recovery, environmental justice) as well as on ethical standards and codes of conducts. Some training programmes are channelled through the Judicial Academy and the Maldives Bar Council, often with financial support from development partners, but it remains ad-hoc and uncoordinated."}, {"bbox": [97, 336, 1135, 657], "category": "Text", "text": "**Limited access to justice outside the capital:** there is a significant gap in terms of resources and capacity and therefore access to the justice system between Male and the other atolls/islands. This is due notably to the geographic configuration of the country, but resource allocation across the islands is far from optimal compared to the case load. Based on the priorities identified in the SAP, the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the Department of Justice Administration (DJA) and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) have been working together (with EU support) to improve the structure and administration of the judiciary, including on the introduction of new district courts outside Male (minimum 2) which would have similar competences as the specialized courts in Male, while at the same time enlarging the geographical competence of magistrate courts in \"circuits\" to improve access to justice in the atolls (the so-called \"circuit court\" system). It still has to be rolled-out and could meet some resistance. **Mediation** as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism for specific cases (i.e. family matters) could also help to decongest the formal courts, although professionally trained mediators are lacking in the country."}, {"bbox": [97, 681, 1135, 870], "category": "Text", "text": "The Government of Maldives has prioritized **digitalisation** to enhance efficiency, improve case management and decentralize access to justice across the country. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of on-line tools such as videoconferencing and software systems to allow for virtual court hearings and on-line trainings for staff from the judiciary. The needs are immense however and there are structural constraints to address, such as lack of/unstable internet connectivity and skilled IT staff in some atolls, the absence of a strategic digitalisation \"Master Plan\" for the sector as well as lack of interconnectivity and interoperability among the different systems in use (fragmented/uncoordinated approach)."}, {"bbox": [97, 894, 1135, 1134], "category": "Text", "text": "**Legal aid and legal assistance:** legal aid, although planned in the Constitution (article 53) for serious criminal cases, is very limited both in terms of scope, resources and availability of pro bono lawyers, especially in remote islands. The Maldives Bar Council (MBC) has been mandated to assist relevant public authorities in securing legal aid for those accused of serious criminal offences, but no concrete progress has been made yet in that respect. A new Legal Aid Bill has been drafted by the Attorney General's Office but there are no clear prospects as regards its future adoption by the Parliament and subsequent implementation. Some civil society organisations such as Transparency Maldives and the Family Legal Clinic are offering legal assistance within their limited financial capacity for specific cases or vulnerable groups such as migrant workers or women and children who have been victim of domestic and gender-based violence (DGBV)."}, {"bbox": [97, 1158, 1135, 1320], "category": "Text", "text": "**Gender:** the justice sector is very male-dominated (% of female judges and magistrates was 11% in 2021 – 20 out of 183), while the percentage of DGBV cases reported that are actually submitted for prosecution is extremely low (only 3% the third quarter of 2020) according to statistics from the Ministry of Gender). There is a clear need to increase the representation and participation of women in the justice sector and to improve gender sensitiveness across the whole justice chain (starting with law enforcement agencies) while also strengthening effective access to justice, remedies and protection mechanisms for DGBV survivors."}, {"bbox": [97, 1344, 1135, 1506], "category": "Text", "text": "**Limited communication and transparency:** the justice system in the Maldives has been tainted by allegations of political interference, corruption, delays and inefficiencies, which has deeply affected public perception and the trust people put in the system. There has been some progress recently in terms of enhanced transparency, oversight and better communication with the public, but justice administration and the court system need more transparency (i.e. only the Supreme Court and High Court's hearings are publicly broadcasted on-line and recorded). On the other hand, people also need to be more aware about their legal rights and how the justice system works."}, {"bbox": [97, 1529, 1135, 1638], "category": "Text", "text": "In addition to the EU, several donors and international organisations are already providing substantial support in most of these areas, in particular the US (through USAID, American Bar Association (ABA-ROLI), Department of Justice etc.), the UK and Australia (through UNDP), Germany (through the Max Planck Foundation), UNODC etc.. UNDP, through its Integrated Governance Programme (IGP – currently phase III supported by the UK and"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1680, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 7 of 29"}]