“The Justice Index 2015 shows that the effect of supports provided by local State agencies for resolving judicial troubles and complaints of the people is low. The effect of supports of lawyers and legal aids is rated higher for that of local judicial authorities,” as heard at the ceremony of announcing the Justice Index 2015 in Hanoi.
The Justice Index 2015 showed that the performance of local State bodies in addressing judicial requirements and troubles of the people slightly improved, but it was still low and this was the reason why many people tended to deal with their problems alone or choose informal approaches to resolve disputes instead of going to local judicial bases.
The Justice Index 2015 was developed by the Vietnam Lawyers Association (VLA), the Centre for Community Support and Development Studies (CECODES), and the Centre for Research and Training of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF-CRT) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The index was based on practical experience of nearly 14,000 people across Vietnam. It reflected their opinions on the performance of judiciaries in ensuring justice and fundamental rights of the people.
According to the leader of the Vietnam Lawyers Association, the first Justice Index was firstly piloted in 21 provinces and cities and published in 2013. The Justice Index 2015 was the second report edition with data collected in 21 provinces and cities and then aggregated with data collected in other provinces and cities by the UNDP to the report.
Professor Le Minh Tam, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Lawyers Association, said the Justice Index is very useful and reliable for measuring public opinions and views on their judicial experiences. The index is also a helpful tool to get objective information sources for the Government, organisations, businesses and people to analyse, evaluate and monitor judicial activities and ensure justice, and protect the rights of Vietnamese people. It is also an instrument for policymaking and policy perfection at local and national levels so as to ensure the implementation of legal and judicial reform strategies in Vietnam.
The Justice Index 2015 showed that access to the court is limited as the public is concerned about costs, procedures and faith in the impartiality of judges and court staff.
Compared with the 2012 survey results, there were positive changes in information access and law knowledge of the masses but inequality still existed among social groups. The poor, the lowly educated and people who did not have social status saw various barriers rooted from personal resources and social resources. As a result, they lack access to information and access to basic judicial institutions.
According to Justice Index 2015, development strategies based on economic development goals will be incomplete. To carry out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inclusive growth policies, judicial reform is a key task in the coming period, specifically reform in judiciaries toward building a judicial foundation for the people and actually ensuring the individual rights and freedom according to the Constitution.
Justice Index 2015 recommended increased openness, transparency and efficiency of grassroots judicial institutions, served as a platform for building and strengthening the confidence in the local judicial system. In addition, it is necessary to create favourable conditions for the people to access information and legal support services in a convenient, friendly and efficient manner and ensuring fairness and equality for disadvantaged groups in society.
The Justice Index 2015 also encouraged and promoted the development of lawyer and legal aid forces to assist and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people in the settlement of disputes as well as access to legal sources.
Besides, Justice Index 2015 recommended shifting the focus from the construction and completion to the completion and enforcement of laws from the central to local levels.
Ms Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, said, “The experience from countries successfully passing the transitional period to become middle-income countries confirmed that relations between the State and its people progresses when the country develops and advances to prosperity. People with better livelihoods, higher educational qualifications and deeper integration to the world will require higher quality and effect of services. They ask the government, including the judicial sector, to reduce bureaucracy and increase transparency and accountability."
Quynh Anh
Vietnamese
