Background

Somaliland has enjoyed significant peace and stability within the past two decades, and recent decentralization efforts by the government cover both the justice and security sectors, with the rule of law as a top priority in the NDP II. However, access to gender-responsive, inclusive, rights-based, and people-centered policing, justice and correctional services remain limited across Somaliland. Women and other marginalized groups such as minority clans, IDPS and people in rural communities, are especially disenfranchised. As the socio-political foundation of Somaliland society and the plural legal system, the clan evinces a fluid and constantly evolving legal environment. Traditional structures, belief systems, and social norms that discriminate against women and girls leads to their marginalization in politics and the economy and can give rise to crimes such as GBV. In addition, the capacity of security and justice institutions – including traditional systems – to provide rights-based services and protections to citizens, specifically women and other marginalized groups, remain weak. Drought, migration, and conflicts along Somaliland’s borders displace populations, increase vulnerability to crimes such as GBV and limit access of impacted populations to security and justice services.

About the Project

Following two successive joint rule of law programmes in Somaliland, with complementing evaluations, this JRLOP II builds on those lessons to promote access to justice and enhance the rights of vulnerable, and disadvantaged groups. JROLP II will support the GoSL to extend the reach of justice and security services to rural communities through an area-based approach anchored in the establishment and functioning of a regional hub model. 

The regional hub will:

• oversee support to regional judicial, human rights, security, and corrections structures,
• enhance community policing,
• extend access to legal assistance and NGOs/CBO in the regions,
• prevention, and response to GBV to IDPs, rural communities and border locations, targeting justice services to under-served populations and,
• enhance synergies with traditional justice mechanisms.

With the goal of fostering more inclusive, equitable, accountable, and responsive rule of law institutions, particularly to the most marginalized and vulnerable, the project will support the government and people of Somaliland to:

1. Increase community awareness of rights and mechanisms for redress; supported by expansion of services to remote regions to guarantee availability and encourage use of fair and effective formal and informal justice systems; especially by the marginalized and vulnerable including women, girls, elderly, PHIV and PWD.
2. Improve police service delivery by increasing trust and confidence in the Somaliland Police to be more rights-respecting, gender-responsive and people-oriented through improved civilian engagement and oversight and accountability
3. Build a justice sector that reflects a gender perspective, promotes gender equality, and empowers communities to transform social norms that perpetuate gender discrimination and GBV,
4. Empower women to participate and transform security and justice institutions to be more gender-responsive
   and inclusive.
5. Criminal justice institutions are enhanced through adherence to legal frameworks that offer alternatives to incarceration and detention, protect the rights of incarcerated persons (especially women and juveniles) through legal aid services, strengthen community engagement in corrections, improve conditions of detention, and foster restorative justice.