The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), a leading civil society group in South Sudan, on Tuesday launched a free legal aid center for vulnerable women, children and men to have access to fair justice in Yei River State.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, CEPO stated that the goal of the center is to promote justice and restore hope through an understanding of the principles of human rights in the state.
The civil society organization said it will offer legal advice, promote assistance, conduct mediation and carry out referral services which are free of charge to affected members of the society.
CEPO further said it will offer trainings to the prison officers, police and the judiciary staff in a bid to promote improved access to justice, reduced back-log or congestion in the judicial and prison detention cells.
“It’s our hope that together we can build a better society for all of us and this can only happen when we respect the laws of the country in which any person found quilt should be dealt with according to the laws governing this country. As an organization we will work collectively with partners including the law implementing agencies so that we all gear our efforts to enhance access to fair justice, strengthened and an informed society.” the statement reads in part.
Speaking at the launch, Yei River State Prison Director, Jackson Lumori welcomed and appreciated CEPO’s commitment to improving access to justice in the state. He also expressed readiness work with the civil society body in ensuring that better human rights services are offered to the prison inmates in the detention cells.
“The whole concept is that, once a prisoner is released from the prison, he or she is supposed to go out a transformed person into the society. Unfortunately, we don’t offer reformatory services. Inside the prison, prisoners have the rights to enjoy the universal human rights; currently we don’t have recreation facilities, libraries and schools, carpentry, football and other services,” Lumori said.
Hawa Adams, a women rights activist in the state, appealed to CEPO and the government to work together to ensure the rights of children and women are observed in prison.
“Even though prisoners are wrong, people who have committed a crime, they need to be cared for and there is need for the government and the civilians to cooperate so that things will run smoothly in the prison sector,” said Hawa.
For his part, director general for local government and law enforcement Lemeri George Leon applauded to CEPO for its local empowerment efforts to promoting access to justice in the state.
“We as a government have the responsibility to protect the people but equally we are calling on the civil society organizations to supplement efforts of the local government because what we cannot do can be done by the civil society and we need the civil societies to act like a mirror in directing the government where it’s going wrong,” said George.