Restorative Justice in Customary Courts

Sudan 2008

DPK provided support to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Southern Sudan by improving access to justice for victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in the Customary Courts - the primary and traditional mechanism for dispute resolution and access to justice in Southern Sudan. DPK analyzed the use of restorative justice principles in customary court rulings; provided training on issues related to GBV, customary law, human rights and restorative justice; helped to develop relevant action plans for improving the administration of justice in customary courts; and conducted stakeholder workshops-including government officials, the donor community, UN agencies, and NGOs-to disseminate baseline information and training results for better targeting of future GBV and access to justice projects.