Generic placeholder image

Current Social Sciences

Author(s): Awinaba Amoah Adongo*, Jonathan Mensah Dapaah and Francess Dufie Azumah

DOI: 10.2174/012772316X277583231229091308

DownloadDownload PDF Flyer Cite As
Gender and Access to Justice in the Informal Court System in Ghana: A Descriptive Phenomenology in a Patriarchal Society

Article ID: e250124226275 Pages: 15

  • * (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Explore Articles
About Journal
For Authors
For Editors
For Reviewers

Abstract

Background: Women and access to justice are global issues, especially in patriarchal societies. There is a surprisingly small body of research on access to justice in the informal court system in patriarchal societies. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical qualitative study on a local court case and use the findings to provide a critical analysis of women and access to justice in the informal court setting in Ghana.

Method: The exploratory qualitative research approach and phenomenological research design were used in the study, which followed Colaizzi's process of descriptive phenomenological data analysis. The study collected data from fifteen women who had used the informal court system to address their grievances using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions as data collection techniques. The data was collected via tape recording and then transcribed word for word.

Results: The major themes that emerged from the research were as follows: (i) traditional gender roles as impediments to justice (ii) social harmony-based adjudication, and (iii) the social consequences of the court's decisions on the family households. Sub-themes are used to discuss these major themes. According to the findings, women cooking and taking care of children, behavioural socialisation norms, women as housewives, informal court decisions based on social harmony, masculine rulings, lack of appeal for cases, women experiencing marital divorce, and lack of enforcement for rulings were identified as significant factors influencing gender and access to justice among women in the informal court system.

Conclusion: Informal courts are accessible and affordable to women who do not have the privilege of using formal courts due to the cost involved; however, the courts' decisions are reconciliatory and do not provide women with equal access to justice. To provide fair justice to all people in rural communities, the informal courts should be integrated with the formal procedure. As a result of the findings, it is recommended that a comprehensive training programme for traditional court judges on land issues, inheritance, and family law, dispute resolution, as well as international human rights standards be implemented so they can handle cases in their respective jurisdictions.

Keywords: Gender, women and access to justice, informal court, patriarchal society, cultural norms, local court case.

[1]
Lima, V.; Gomez, M. Access to justice: Promoting the legal system as a human right. In: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; Springer: Cham, 2019, pp. 1-10.
[2]
Olusegun, O.O.; Oyelade, O.S. Access to justice for Nigerian women: A veritable tool to achieving sustainable development. Int. J. Discrim. Law, 2022, 22(1), 4-29.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13582291211043418]
[3]
Mukhopadhyay, M.; Quintero, S. Gender and access to justice in sub-Saharan Africa; KIT and CALS: Amsterdam, 2008.
[4]
Niyonkuru, A.P. Gender and access to justice in Burundi: conflicting norms, gaps in the law and the role of judges. J. Leg. Plur. Unoff. Law, 2021, 53(3), 570-592.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07329113.2021.1981036]
[5]
Garasumiv, T.Z.; Chornopyska, V.Z.; Baran, A.V. Current problems of the impact of gender equality in the administration of justice in Ukraine. AUC IURIDICA, 2022, 68(2), 209-223.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.14712/23366478.2022.30]
[6]
Uygur, G.; Skinnider, E. Understanding Barriers to Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Aid in Türkiye. Asia, 2022.
[7]
Anderson, M.R. Changing Concepts of Rights and Justice in South Asia; Oxford University Press: Delhi, 2019.
[8]
Mbatha, L. The use of innovative qualitative methods to conduct legal research into, inter alia, marriage, access to resources and customary courts; South Africa, 2008.
[9]
Sieder, R.; McNeish, J.A. Eds.; Gender justice and legal pluralities: Latin American and African perspectives; Routledge, 2013.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203084434]
[10]
Stewart, J.; Anne, H.; Shaheen, S.A.; Tsanga, A. Human Rights, Plural Legalities and Gendered Realities: Paths are made by Walking; Weaver Press, 2007.
[11]
Kirsty, M. Forthcoming K McLean Ten Years of Socio-Economic Rights Jurisprudence in South Africa: A Critical Review; Pretoria University Law Press, 2009.
[12]
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD Skills Outlook, 2019: Thriving in a digital world. 2019. Available from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/oecd-skills-outlook-2019_df80bc12-en#:~:text=This%20edition%20of%20the%20OECD,among%20and%20within%20countries'%20populations
[13]
Paclarin, J.V. Women’s Coalitions Launch 18 Days of Action to Stop Violence Against Women; Philippines , 2019.
[14]
Eliot, G.; Fuller, M.; Wollstonecraft, M. Margaret Fuller and Mary Wollstonecraft; George Eliot Archive, 2020.
[15]
Denvir, C.; Kinghan, J.; Mant, J.; Newman, D. Legal aid and the future of access to justice; Bloomsbury Academic, 2023, p. 288.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781509957835]
[16]
Hassim, S. Women’s Organizations and Democracy in South Africa; Contesting Authority, University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.
[17]
Maguire, S. Access to Justice for women and girls. . An assessment of women and girls’ access to justice across Sierra Leone, to inform the implementation phase of the ASJP a partnership between the governments of the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone; , 2012.
[18]
Salome, D. Women as daughters, mothers and wives face several challenges in their efforts to access justice in rural and urban areas due to a number of factors such as illiteracy and poverty. In: Ghana Judicial System Report; , 2018.
[19]
Asare, A.A. Truth without reconciliation: A human rights history of Ghana; University of Pennsylvania Press: USA, 2018.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.9783/9780812295276]
[20]
Stevens, J. Access to justice in Sub-Sahara Africa; Penal Reform International: London, 2019.
[21]
Choudhry, S. Women’s access to justice: A guide for legal practitioners; European Union: United Kingdom, 2018.
[22]
Gjecaj, E.; Lawson, A.; Traustadóttir, R.; Rice, J.G. ‘We got lucky with the judge’: Access to justice for disabled women in iceland. Laws, 2023, 12(2), 21.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/laws12020021]
[23]
Chuma, H. Family and Succession Law' monograph in International Encyclopaedia of Laws Series (2002, revision 2008) Kluwer Law International) Family Law and Succession Law suppl. 2008.
[24]
Durojaye, E.; Mirugi-Mukundi, G.; Adeniyi, O. Legal empowerment as a tool for engendering access to justice in South Africa. Int. J. Discrim. Law, 2020, 20(4), 224-244.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1358229120969602]
[25]
Ubink, J.; Mnisi Weeks, S. Courting custom: Regulating access to justice in rural South Africa and Malawi. Law Soc. Rev., 2017, 51(4), 825-858.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12298]
[26]
United Nation Development Programme Ghana. The poor are socially excluded from access to justice., 2019. Available from: http://www.publicprivatedialogue.org/.Ghanavoicefinal_06082007-p (Retrieved on 3rd June 2019).
[27]
Melinda, D. Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality; Rights and Social Justice: Sierra Leone, 2008.
[28]
Jones-Pauly, C. The Role of Court Administrators and Lay Adjudicators in African and Islamic Contexts; Kluwer Law international: New York, 2002.
[29]
Azumah, F.D.; Onzaberigu, N.J.; Adongo, A.A. Gender, agriculture and sustainable livelihood among rural farmers in northern Ghana. Econ. Change Restruct., 2022, 1-23.
[30]
Zahan, M. M.; Singh, M. Women’s access to justice: Understanding the barriers. PalArch's J. Archaeol. Egypt/Egyptol., 2020, 17(12), 1131-1140.
[31]
Adekunle, C.O. Access to justice in Nigeria: An extrapolative appraisal of its socio-legal barriers. Jurist, 2014, (20), 283-307.
[32]
Yasegnal, A.S. Gender based violence against women: The crisis behind being a restaurant waitress. J. Crim. Psychol., 2023, 13(1), 34-46.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JCP-04-2022-0013]
[33]
Denney, L.; Domingo, P. Taking people-centred justice to scale: The role of customary and informal justice in advancing people-centred justice; , 2023. Available from: https://odi.org/en/publications/taking-people-centred-justice-to-scale-the-role-of-customary-and-informal-justice-in-advancing-people-centred-justice/
[34]
Fuller, P. Masculinity, emotion and sexual violence.In: Gender Relations in Public and Private; Palgrave Macmillan: London, 1996.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24543-7_12]
[35]
Tong, A.H.Y.; Evangelista, M.; Parsons, A.B.; Xu, H.; Bader, G.D.; Pagé, N.; Robinson, M.; Raghibizadeh, S.; Hogue, C.W.V.; Bussey, H.; Andrews, B.; Tyers, M.; Boone, C. Systematic genetic analysis with ordered arrays of yeast deletion mutants. Science, 2001, 294(5550), 2364-2368.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1065810] [PMID: 11743205]
[36]
Jenkins, A.; Petherick, W. Serial rape. In: Profiling and Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues, 3rd ed; Petherick, W., Ed.; Elsevier, , 2013, pp. 319-340.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4557-3174-9.00015-X]
[37]
Aaker, D.A.; Day, G. Marketing Research.In: Consumer Evaluations of Brand Approaches; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1990.
[38]
Starhawk, Truth or dare: Encounters with power, authority, and mystery; HarperCollins paperback: San Francisco, 1990.
[39]
Nelson, T.O. Consciousness and metacognition. Am. Psychol., 1996, 51(2), 102-116.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.2.102]
[40]
Jassal, N. Gender, law enforcement, and access to justice: Evidence from all-women police stations in India. Am. Polit. Sci. Rev., 2020, 114(4), 1035-1054.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0003055420000684]
[41]
Purdie-Vaughns, V.; Eibach, R.P. Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of multiple subordinate-group identities. Sex Roles, 2008, 59(5-6), 377-391.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9424-4]
[42]
Eagly, A.H.; Wood, W. The origins of sex differences in human behavior: Evolved dispositions versus social roles. Am. Psychol., 1999, 54(6), 408-423.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.6.408]
[43]
Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and ICF International. Ghana Demographic and Health Survey; , 2015. Available from: https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/fr307/fr307.pdf
[44]
Statistical Service, & ORC Macro. Ghana demographic and health survey; , 2009. Available from: https://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR221/FR221%5B13Aug2012%5D.pdf
[45]
Yakubu, N.A. Transformations in the chieftaincy institution in northern ghana from 1900-1969: A case study of navrongo and sakot.. Doctoral thesis, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology., 2009.
[46]
Binka, E. Navrongo health research centre (NHRC) located in central Navrongo. J. Public Health, 2000, 6(4), 134-257.
[47]
Wedjong, P. History of Navrongo., 1994. Available from: http://www.zerizon.net/vze827ph/history.htm (Retrieved on 14th June, 2019).
[48]
Richards, C.; Bouman, W.P.; Barker, M. Non-binary genders; Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2017.
[49]
Colaizzi, P. Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In: Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology; Vale, R.S.; King, M., Eds.; Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 1978.
[50]
Giorgi, A. Difficulties encountered in the application of the phenomenological method in the social sciences. Indo-Pac. J. Phenomenol., 2008, 8(1), 1-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20797222.2008.11433956]
[51]
Morse, J. Designing funded qualitative research. In: Handbook for Qualitative Research; Denzin, N.; Lincoln, Y., Eds.; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1994, pp. 220-235.
[52]
Creswell, J. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1998.
[53]
Morse, J.M.; Barrett, M.; Mayan, M.; Olson, K.; Spiers, J. Verification strategies for establishing reliability and validly in qualitative research. Int. J. Qual. Methods, 2002, 1(2), 13-22.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100202]
[54]
Todres, L. Clarifying the life-world: Descriptive phenomenology. In: Qualitative Research in Health Care; Holloway, I., Ed.; Open University Press: Buckinghamshire, 2005, pp. 104-124.
[55]
Creswell, J.W. Five qualitative approaches to inquiry.In: Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches; Google Books, 2007.
[56]
Patton, M.Q. Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice; Sage publications, 2014.
[57]
Richardson, S.K.; Grainger, P.C.; Ardagh, M.W.; Morrison, R. Violence and aggression in the emergency department is under-reported and under-appreciated. N. Z. Med. J., 2018, 131(1476), 50-58.
[PMID: 29879726]
[58]
Creswell, J.W.; Miller, D.L. Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory Pract., 2000, 39(3), 124-130.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2]
[59]
Sanders, P. Phenomenology: A new way of viewing organizational research. Acad. Manage. Rev., 1982, 7(3), 353-360.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/257327]
[60]
Moustakas, C. Phenomenological Research Methods; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 1994.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658]
[61]
Sanders, C. Application of Colaizzi’s method: Interpretation of an auditable decision trail by a novice researcher. Contemp. Nurse, 2003, 14(3), 292-302.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5172/conu.14.3.292] [PMID: 12868668]
[62]
Shosha, G.A. Employment of Colaizzi’s strategy in descriptive phenomenology: A reflection of a researcher. Eur. Sci. J., 2012, 8(27), 31-43.
[63]
Morrow, R.; Rodriguez, A.; King, N. Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Psychologist, 2015, 28(8), 643-644.
[64]
Beck, C.T. Introduction to phenomenology: Focus on methodology; Sage Publications, 2019.
[65]
Lincoln, Y.S.; Guba, E.G. Naturalistic Inquiry; Sage Publications, 1985.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(85)90062-8]
[66]
Barakat, S. The Cost of Justice: Exploratory assessment on women's access to justice in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Yemen. 2018. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/cost-justice-exploratory-assessment-women-s-access-justice-lebanon-jordan-egypt-and
[67]
Erlanger, H.S.; Chambliss, E.; Melli, M.S. Participation and flexibility in informal processes: Cautions from the divorce context. Law Soc. Rev., 1987, 21(4), 585-604.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3053597]
[68]
Marits, D.; Yasharova, M.; Yehorova, V.; Boiarchuk, O.; Priamitsyn, V. Justice in ukraine: Issues of accessibility, equality and countering discrimination. Lex Humana, 2023, 15(4), 268-288.
[69]
Fisher Page, D.; Farrell, B.R. One crisis or two problems? Disentangling rural access to justice and the rural attorney shortage; , 2023. Available from: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4475009
[70]
Walker, M.; Rawson, C. Forming lawyers who can contribute to equitable access to justice in South Africa. Int. J. Clin. Legal Educ., 2023, 30(2), 97-137.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.19164/ijcle.v30i2.1318]