Saturday 2nd November, 2019
By Comfort Sena Fetrie, GNA
Tamale, Nov. 2, GNA – A study conducted by the
African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) to assess the perception of court
users in the delivery of justice by courts in the Tamale Metropolis indicates
that more court users have trust in the judicial system.
At least 88 percent of respondents in the
survey funded by the Star Ghana Foundation, expressed confidence in the
judicial system to give them justice, while 12 percent said they did not have
confidence in the judicial system to give them the desired justice following
some experiences had encountered in seeking justice in the courts.
Lawyer Edna Kuma, Executive Director of AWLA
disclosed this during a review meeting to assess access to justice, organised
by AWLA in Tamale to strengthen civic participation and social accountability
in justice delivery in the judicial service.
According to her, some users of the courts
complained about some elements in the judicial system who were unfriendly to
them in the discharge of justice.
She indicated that a trusted judicial system
would encourage more people to resort to the services of the courts and reduce
the level of lawlessness that was associated with simple litigation issues.
She said the respondents suggested that the
judicial service should put in place a reliable system to inform them about the
change of date to their cases to enable them avoid the inconvenience of
traveling long distances to Tamale only to be informed that their hearing dates
had changed.
Lawyer Issah Mahmodu, Northern Regional
Director of the Legal Aid Commission suggested that the users of the courts
should be educated on court procedures for them to have some basic knowledge on
court proceedings and actions.
He urged members of the public to visit the
courts websites to learn more about the guidelines of the court to enhance
their knowledge and be educated on court procedures.  Â
GNA
