Community Justice Centers in Ethiopia

The Community Justice Center (CJC) model serves as the first point of contact for those in Ethiopia seeking to prevent or resolve their most common and impactful land and family justice problems in an accessible, affordable and evidence-based manner. With premises located centrally in every Woreda (district) and Community Justice Representatives deployed in the Kebeles (wards), the CJC model provides people in Ethiopia effective access to high-quality and affordable tailored information, advice and referral services. At the same time, community judges situated at the kebele level mediate disputes based on traditional norms and best practices.

Designed as a complementary service, the CJC model builds upon the legitimacy and effectiveness of existing informal justice providers that already operate in the communities. By improving the existing capacities of informal justice providers and facilitating optimal integration with the formal justice sector, the CJC model aims to create a scalable delivery model that can be replicated across all Woredas in Ethiopia.