Microfinance is cool but what about Microjustice?
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009I think we can safely say microfinance is here to stay although I do believe we are still in the very early stages of its development.
But Microjustice…sounds like you get a 5 min court hearing or similar. But no it’s a new form of legal representation using the microfinance model. Let’s face it lawyers don’t come cheap and yet justice is supposed to be a universal right. Right’s can also be expensive but legal activists are pioneering a new approach.
“The similarity between microjustice and microfinance is largely a way of thinking,” Van Swinderen says, “to not look at poor people as victims. Just to be very businesslike serves them much better than to always treat them like poor people who need support. Almost all development programs create a dependency that is not so desirable.”
It’s a small start but could lead to a big change in how legal services are delivered to those less well off.
