The Ministry of Justice is advocating for the passage of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program by the National Legislature to improve access to justice and alleviate the burden on trial dockets and prison facilities across Liberia.
The ADR program, an out-of-court dispute settlement mechanism, is designed for community leaders, such as chiefs, elders, and religious leaders, to resolve conflicts, particularly felony cases, at the grassroots level. The aim is to empower these leaders to become effective mediators, contributing to a reduction in violence and crime within communities.
“The ADR program is out of court dispute settlement and it is designed for community leaders to settle their own dispute, especially cases that are felony cases,” Gobah Anderson, Director of the ADR program at the ministry told the Daily Observer last week in an interview in Ganta, Nimba County. “It is designed for people with good character, including chiefs, elders, and religious leaders to settle disputes at the community level.”
Recognizing the long-standing role of community leaders in settling disputes, the government has developed a National ADR policy culminating in the draft “National ADR Act” to be presented to the Legislature for approval.
The proposed legislation aims to increase access to justice, reduce case backlogs, alleviate prison overcrowding, and standardize dispute resolution processes.
“The importance of the program is for community leaders to become effective, efficient dispute resolvers. The government has been long on the process of establishing an Alternative Dispute Resolution program as a key component of government access to justice and rules of laws program,” Anderson said. “The government, through MOJ, was able to design a National ADR policy and we now have the drift ‘National ADR Act’ to be presented to the Legislature and hoping for it to pass.”
The new ADR act seeks to offer a cost-effective and standardized approach to case management, distinguishing between cases suitable for court adjudication and those suitable for alternative dispute resolution. This approach aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in conflict resolution mechanisms.
The Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with partners such as the UNDP and Irish Aid, has conducted training workshops for community leaders and security actors in selected counties to enhance their capacity in resolving disputes at the community level using ADR methods. Topics covered during the workshops include access to justice, Liberia’s dual justice system, customary and statutory justice systems.
