Burkina Faso is diversifying its justice ecosystem to better address high profile problems, such as security issues, as well as everyday conflicts, such as neighbours and land problems. Under this backdrop and with support from the Ministry of Justice and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HiiL launched a Justice Needs & Satisfaction study to update the map of justice journeys and concerns facing everyday Burkinabè.

The data collected in these surveys reflect an urgent demand to address concerns of access to justice for the people of Burkina Faso.

There is a large demand for justice overall, as shown by the data.

Gathering data and articulating what those findings show have been an integral part of our work so far in Burkina Faso. We are currently in our third data collection effort in the country and are working on other research on the justice needs and access to justice of Burkinabè.

Providing basic access to justice services is recognized by the Ministry as a priority. The justice landscape in Burkina Faso is changing as a result. For example, traditional and customary authorities are in the process of being recognised as formal justice actors after a constitutional revision in December 2023.

Looking ahead, HiiL will continue to examine opportunities to strengthen people-centred justice programming in Burkina Faso. This includes partnering with State actors, civil society organisations and academia to explore and understand specific legal problems and justice journeys.

With this in mind, HiiL partnered with the Association des Femmes Juristes du Burkina Faso (AFJ/BF), a CSO of women lawyers that defend women’s rights and fight gender-based discrimination, to create a factsheet on women’s access to justice in Burkina Faso. Through compelling data and real stories of women advised by the legal clinic of the AFJ/BF, the document offers an in-depth look at the real-life implications of the barriers faced by women when seeking justice.