[{"bbox": [97, 178, 663, 205], "category": "Text", "text": "Other relevant policies will also be considered, among others:"}, {"bbox": [97, 206, 1133, 259], "category": "Text", "text": "1) the Open Government Partnership (OGP) with aim to improve economic growth and service delivery in governance,"}, {"bbox": [97, 259, 1133, 312], "category": "Text", "text": "2) the National Action Plan (NAP) on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, which ensures the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in Nigeria;"}, {"bbox": [86, 326, 338, 357], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 373, 1077, 428], "category": "Text", "text": "The justice and anti-corruption sectors present several structural and systemic challenges affecting their institutional and operational functions. The action will seek to address the problems identified below."}, {"bbox": [97, 454, 223, 479], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Justice sector"}, {"bbox": [97, 507, 1133, 743], "category": "Text", "text": "Though Nigeria's legal framework in the justice sector is largely developed, its implementation remains challenging. The legislative setup on criminal justice - Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), Child's Right Act (CRA), Violence against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), and the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Act - has been adopted at federal level and in the focal states². Yet, the communities and the justice institutions themselves are not fully aware of the new measures and their consequences on their daily practice. States' policies are yet to fully align with the new laws. The ACJA - after seven years of implementation, domestication or amendment processes in the states, still requires further enforcement support. The same is true for the other laws and for the Legal Aid Act of 2011, providing assistance to the most vulnerable groups in criminal and civil matters."}, {"bbox": [97, 772, 1133, 982], "category": "Text", "text": "Efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and transparency of the criminal justice system remain key challenges. Most root causes and problems, underlined in the National Policy on Justice of 2017, that undermine the fair and speedy dispensation of justice services, remain valid today. The following could be highlighted: 1) lack of efficient workflow processes and effective information and case management systems within justice institutions (causing delays in judicial procedures and court backlogs); 2) limited technical capacities of the criminal chain actors (in terms of knowledge, skills, including IT skills); 3) high number of pre-trial detentions (two thirds of the overall prison population) and insufficient resort to alternative sentencing and mediation; and 4) unstructured cooperation mechanisms in the criminal chain."}, {"bbox": [97, 1011, 1133, 1277], "category": "Text", "text": "**Justice sector reforms** remain inadequate, undermining their pace and quality. As a result, the justice sector is characterised by unsatisfactory service delivery and court performance, as well as lack of data to support needs assessment of justice issues faced by citizens, in particular the most vulnerable groups (women, children, juveniles, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and internally displaced persons). Accountability and transparency of the judicial system remain under-developed. Few judgements and court statistics are published. E-court hearings, digital information and case management systems used during the COVID pandemic to facilitate decongestion of courts and prisons have not been adopted. Although the judiciary has achieved some degree of financial independence, courts' autonomy and decisional independence in States is more open to debate. Political interference, corruption, uncertain career opportunity, and the limited continuous legal and judicial training organised (despite those offered by external experts), continue weakening public confidence in the justice system."}, {"bbox": [97, 1303, 1133, 1515], "category": "Text", "text": "**Access to justice** remains a major concern, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups. In most states, people cannot afford high cost of litigation. In addition, cultural and traditional impediments continue to render access to justice difficult for groups who face social stigma, exploitation, violence, and discrimination. The incidence of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) has strongly increased namely due to the insurgency in the Northeast³. Victims of SGBV also face constraints to have their rights recognised due to slow legal proceedings accentuated by the social pressure, which tends to deny the criminal nature of the acts. The number of cases prosecuted and adjudicated remains low. In addition, the legal aid service providers and response mechanisms responding to domestic and sexual violence remain institutionally fragile and under-resourced."}, {"bbox": [86, 1572, 1120, 1598], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² Programme Phase I 11th EDF focal states include the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Adamawa, Anambra, Edo and Kano"}, {"bbox": [86, 1598, 1141, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ From forced and early marriages to physical, mental, or sexual assault, nearly 3 in 10 Nigerian women and girls have experienced physical violence by age 15 (Source: ROLAC reports)."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 7 of 29"}]