Likoma stakeholders resolve to maintain primary justice
Stakeholders in Likoma have resolved to maintain primary justice and its structures at district level.
The development comes in the wake of Department for International Development (DfID), which was funding all primary justice activities since November 2011 through the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace CCJP is exiting the programme this month.
The stakeholders included Likoma District Council, chiefs and community based educators (CBEs).
“My office has seen a reduction on the number of cases, especially in the areas of gender-based violence and other minor cases. Community awareness was made easier through primary justice structures,” said Chipezayani Makwati from Likoma Police Station.
Group village head (GVH) Chalunda said it would be important to continue primary justice activities even without funding as they were transformative to society.
“Funded projects come and go and many die naturally. I would love if primary justice programmes continue even without donors,” she said.
District Implementation Agency (DIA) project officer, Father Peterson Binga from Anglican Church, said he was happy with the stakeholders’ decision.
The project had trained 40 CBEs and chiefs and had tribunals villages who were trained in case management. n
