Policy Brief

Shrinking the Justice Gap: Rethinking Access to Justice for Migrants in the Global South

Approaching migrants' access to justice as part and parcel of a broader agenda for social justice.

Publication Date
27 Oct 2023
Authors
Caroline Nalule Heaven Crawley Diana Zacca Thomaz

This UNU-CPR discussion paper draws on evidence and data gathered by researchers in the Global South, as part of the UKRI-funded Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ) Hub, to explore the concept of access to justice for migrants in the Global South, emphasizing the importance of approaching access to justice as part and parcel of a broader agenda for social justice.

Approximately two-thirds of the world’s population – roughly 5.1 billion people – lack meaningful access to justice. This problem is particularly acute for migrants, many of whom face economic, social, cultural, linguistic, structural, institutional and, at times, legal barriers to accessing justice.

This discussion paper recognizes calls by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants for the development of an ‘Agenda 2035 for the facilitation of human mobility’ under the UN framework to complement the SDGs as well as the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, as indicators of growing calls to increase access to justice for migrants and their families.

Access 'Shrinking the Justice Gap: Rethinking Access to Justice for Migrants in the Global South' here. 

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