Evaluating the Effectiveness of Legal Empowerment Approaches to Customary Law Reform in Somaliland and Puntland

In recent years, the idea of promoting legal empowerment as a means of increasing access to justice has sparked growing interest in development and donor circles. At the same time, recognition that non-state justice is the reality for many of the world‟s poor has led to greater acceptance of the need to include customary justice systems in legal reform and development efforts. To shed light on these issues, IDLO has examined the short and medium-term impact of attempts by traditional elders in Somaliland and Puntland to revise elements of Somali customary law (xeer) with the aim of bringing it into greater alignment with both formal Islamic law (Shari’a) and international human rights standards.

Location: Somalia

Author(s): Maria Vargas Simojoki

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