Somalilandsun – The Somaliland pluralist system affects the most vulnerable members of society the hardest, particularly women, children and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
For instance, the customary law system – which is preferred by the majority – relies on the wisdom of elders who are considered by the people (and the elders themselves) to be the best suited in dealing with a large number of cases, both in the criminal and civil law realms.
However, it is often the case that the outcome of this system ends up marginalizing the more vulnerable members of society.
There is therefore a need to enhance access to justice in Somaliland which has a pluralist system of justice that includes the formal justice system, the customary system and the Sharia’h law system as per an UNODC research carried out in 2011 titled “Somaliland Litigant’s Charter”
