The World Bank has published a report assessing the work of Timap for Justice in delivering justice for the country’s poor and marginalised. Timap is a Sierra Leonean organisation deploying a frontline of paralegals based in communities, supported and supervised by lawyers. Timap seeks to help people achieve concrete solutions to justice problems and increase the accountability and fairness of both traditional and formal governmental institutions.
The study was the first of its kind evaluating how and to what extent Timap is achieving its goals. The researchers employed a case tracking methodology: they selected a sample of cases from Timap’s docket, and for each of 42 cases interviewed all parties involved. The report finds that respondents to the research were “overwhelmingly positive” about their experiences with Timap, and “felt that they had received high-quality, responsive justice services.”
The report observes, “the research team found strong evidence that Timap’s interventions were indeed empowering,” and notes that clients and communities are now able to pursue redress for problems that they would otherwise have ignored or endured. In particular, the report praises Timap’s effectiveness in resolving disputes against authorities or powerful interests. The organisation is also succeeding in empowering traditionally marginalised groups: women and youth who were interviewed for the study reported that their interaction with Timap had increased their confidence and sense of empowerment. This may have the effect of tackling some of the socio economic problems facing communities, such as outward migration of youth. As one interviewee noted, “Timap has also helped to minimise the migration of youths in the sense that they now have an alternative to the local courts. Before now, they go to court and they are fined so heavily that they cannot pay, so they run away…” Teacher (male, 40s), Tonkolili District.
The researchers observed that “Timap paralegals regularly incorporate education on human rights and international legal principles in their dispute resolution activities as part of their wider effort to influence institutional change… researchers found several cases where paralegals worked with traditional authorities to adapt longstanding traditions to more closely adhere to modern human rights standards.” The report also praised paralegals for their cultural awareness, in developing solutions that were aligned with the beliefs and expectations of community members.
Other advantages of Timap’s services highlighted in the study included: accessibility, the range of tools available for dispute resolution, and the speed at which Timap resolves problems.
The report also offers constructive recommendations on how services can be improved. It suggests, among other things, that Timap publicise the availability of its services better, for example through radio programming. When people come for help, the paralegals should explain how they handle cases more systematically, so as to empower individuals to settle their own disputes in future.
Timap for Justice was established as an independent Sierra Leonean organisation in 2004. There are currently 26 paralegals, operating across 13 offices, mostly in rural Sierra Leone. These are supported and supervised by a small number of lawyers. The paralegals straddle Sierra Leone’s dualist legal system, engaging both customary and formal institutions. Practical solutions are found to justice problems using a combination of techniques, including mediation, education, community organising, advocacy, assistance in navigating systems and, in rare cases, litigation.
Timap is presently working with the Government of Sierra Leone, the Open Society Justice Initiative, the World Bank, and other partners to develop a national approach to justice services on the basis of Timap’s model.
A PDF of the report is now available: Delivering Justice to Sierra Leone’s Poor: An Analysis of the Work of Timap for Justice by Pamela Dale, No. 1/200 or from the World Bank.
For further information please contact Philip Sesay at philmaet [at] yahoo [dot] com or Simeon Koroma at smkoroma [at] yahoo [dot] com.