RECOMMENDATIONS ON TRADITIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS

It is critical to raise knowledge and understanding of traditional justice systems in order for
them to be effectively integrated into the larger legal environment. Here are some suggestions about
how to accomplish this:
Participation in the Community and Education:
To educate the public about the traditional judicial system, its principles, and its role in
settling conflicts, hold community workshops, seminars, and awareness initiatives. To conduct these
instructional sessions, work with local community leaders, elders, and traditional authorities.
Traditional Justice Should Be Incorporated in Legal Education:
Incorporate traditional justice systems elements into formal law education programs.
Encourage law schools to include case studies and hands-on experience with traditional
judicial procedures.
Advocacy for Public Policy:
Propose that traditional judicial systems be recognized and included in national legal
frameworks. Collaborate with lawmakers to create policies that allow formal and traditional judicial
systems to coexist.
Campaigns in the Media:
Disseminate information on traditional legal systems using various types of media, such as
radio, television, and social media. Produce films or educational movies that highlight successful
examples in which traditional judicial processes have been effective.
Collaboration with Institutions of Formal Justice:
Encourage cooperation and communication between the traditional and formal judicial
systems.
Organize collaborative training workshops for traditional and formal justice practitioners to
better understand their responsibilities and procedures.
Programs for Legal Literacy:
Create legal literacy programs that include knowledge on both the official and informal
justice systems. Make sure the public understands their rights and obligations under both systems.
Legal Aid and Justice Access:
Ensure that people have access to legal aid in both traditional and formal judicial systems.
Allow those seeking justice to easily navigate between the two systems.
Traditional Practices Documentation:
Document customary laws, conventional legal processes, and conflict settlement
mechanisms. Create easily available resources, such as manuals or guides, that practitioners and the
general public may utilize to learn about traditional judicial systems.
Building Capacity;
 Provide traditional justice practitioners with training and capacity-building initiatives to help
them improve their abilities and ensure fair and just results. Provide assistance in the development
of standards and ethical guidelines for traditional justice practitioners.
Evaluation and monitoring:
Create procedures to monitor and assess the efficacy of traditional judicial systems.
Collect data on cases, results, and customer satisfaction to continuously enhance the system.
The link between TJS and formal courts;
A nexus should be created between TJS and the formal court processes to enhance access to
justice. A referral system should be developed with the possibility that decisions of the TJS can be
enforced by formal courts. Also, a mechanism ought to be put in place to allow courts to refer to
cases to TJS for settlement where necessary. There is need to develop models for collaboration
between the two systems to improve the delivery of justice, resolve disputes, and protect rights.
Implementing these suggestions would help stakeholders create a more inclusive and
informed legal environment that acknowledges and respects the role of traditional justice systems
alongside formal frameworks.