DILI, 20 december 2022 (TATOLI)- EU (European Union) and UN (United Nations) in the Spotlight Initiative program, in collaboration with the Office of Public Lawyers under the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) inaugurated the Clinic building which can be Accessed to Justice system in Ermera municipality.
The statement seen by Tatoli, stated that the inauguration of the building was inaugurated on December 14, 2022, took place in Ermera municipality. The building will be used with the core objective of supporting the Timor-Leste government through Public Lawyers, at the municipal level, especially the central municipality.
the statement also says that the construction of the building was to ensure the availability of better services to eliminate violence against women and girls in rural areas while also providing an effective service to respond to violence issues.
“I am very happy that today we can finally inaugurate the Access to Justice Clinic in Ermera. this is a very important achievement for all of us to continue to support Public Lawyers for ensuring that the justice system is accessible to everyone, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups,” said UNDP Resident Representative, Adeline Carrier in her remarks at the event.
Carrier stresses that UNDP will continue to maintain a strong relationship with the Ministry of Justice.
“In this regard, UNDP is also very proud, and it is our privilege to work closely with the Ministry of Justice – Public Lawyer’s Office to continue to maintain this strong partnership in Sustainable Development and its core principle “Leave No One Behind,”she said.
Meanwhile, Public Defender, Cancio Xavier, is very grateful to the UE Spotlight program for the extraordinary partnership in supporting the construction of the Justice Clinic for Timor-Leste as he realizes that there were a number of cases of violence that occurred at the city level.
“At the municipal level victims find it difficult to bring cases to access the legal and formal justice system because of the distance to the courthouse, due to the lack of public transportation,” he said.
Therefore, together with the Spotlight Initiative supported by the EU, MoJ continues to develop strategies for providing wider and more accessible spaces for local communities to bring their access to the legal process to ensure justice that is fair and applies to everyone.
At the same time, European Union Ambassador Marc Friedrich emphasized that “The European Union is proud to support this life-saving resource, hoping it will enable more survivors to get much-needed care,”
“By working in partnership with local authorities, another important step was taken to provide broad community support for those experiencing abuse,” Ambassador said.
So far, the inauguration ceremony was also attended by judicial actors, government agencies from the national and municipal levels, civil society organizations such as JSMP, ALFELA, Mane ho Vizaun Foun, and other CSOs including local communities and groups of persons with disabilities.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
