All we ask for is a second of your time, for your vote.
To vote click on this link: https://innovatingjustice.com/en/projects/the-citizen-justice-network-2
South Africans recently voted, deciding on their local government, a decision that will influence the future of the country. Citizen Justice Network aka CJN asks your vote to improve access to justice for poor and marginalized South Africans. CJN is an award-winning media innovation that trains community paralegals to be radio journalists. We build journalism capacity for paralegals to develop stories on access to social justice issues in under-reported and mostly poor areas. We train paralegals in community advice offices, provide technology, editorial guidance and connect them with local community radio stations so they can broadcast their stories in African languages.
CJN has been nominated for the HiiL Innovating Justice Challenge which works to improve justice journeys experienced by the users of the justice system. HiiL often works with such access to social justice initiatives to turn their ideas into reality by providing funding and support. Your vote could go a long way in supporting our cause. With the help of this funding, we will start a Family Justice Unit. Our goal is to develop rural communities by improving their knowledge and level of engagement around social justice issues. Some of these issues include citizenship, domestic violence, grant access, human trafficking, labour disputes, restorative justice and service delivery. It is our hope that through getting people to talk about their rights on community platforms, we can improve awareness and better access to social justice.
To see why our work is important, the South African Government, in terms of the Constitution as well as under various international instruments, has an obligation to ensure access to justice for all citizens, as a basic human right, regardless of race, social status or political affiliation. But this isn’t the case on the ground. Many communities, and particularly rural and marginalized communities, do not have access to legal advice as a result of high cost of lawyers, ignorance of the existence of state equivalent centers, a fear of engaging the legal aid system, and the awfully painful distances they have to travel to get to such centers. CAOs work to ensure that the justice system functions better and that the South African Constitution becomes a living reality for individuals and communities.
So please take time to reconsider how important your vote to us really is, and how just one vote can improve millions of South African lives by following the link below to cast your vote.
https://innovatingjustice.com/en/projects/the-citizen-justice-network-2
It only takes a second to vote online!
