Administration judiciaire : Malaise dans les Maisons de justice de proximité
Since the early 2000s, the Senegalese government has focused on community justice to strengthen mediation, conciliation, and the expedited handling of cases. The regulatory framework, established by Decree No. 2007-1254 of October 23, 2007, defines Justice Centers as decentralized structures designed to promote access to free, swift, and peaceful justice.
Created to bring justice closer to the people and to relieve the burden on the courts, they now constitute a major tool of the local justice policy in Senegal.
But behind this system, praised for its effectiveness, a deep unease is taking hold among its main proponents. The coordinators of the Justice Centers denounce persistent marginalization and unequal treatment within the judicial administration.
In practice, these structures have helped to alleviate the burden on the courts and strengthen citizens' trust in the justice system. However, the legal professionals who coordinate them, most of whom hold a master's degree in law, struggle to obtain the professional recognition their role requires.
In 2013, the government began the process of integrating community justice coordinators into the civil service, recognizing their central role in implementing community justice. Twelve years later, this integration remains incomplete. Of the 33 coordinators in the country, only 9 have been integrated, while 24 remain in precarious employment.
Discrepancies in treatment that are difficult to justify
These workers operate without contracts, pay slips, pensions, or health insurance. This situation deprives them of any job security, as well as fundamental rights such as access to bank loans and social security. "We work for justice, but we don't have social justice," summarizes a coordinator in the suburbs of Dakar.
The inequalities between integrated and non-integrated coordinators are glaring. The former benefit from higher salaries, social benefits, access to the Justice Ministry's common fund, and budgetary autonomy. The latter, on the other hand, receive paltry allowances and have no job security. Many have even resigned due to a lack of prospects.
The non-integrated coordinators are now appealing to the Ministry of Justice, which they accuse of slowness and a lack of transparency in handling their cases. They are demanding the immediate regularization of their situation, the implementation of a career plan, and their enrollment in social security schemes.
While other ministries, such as Education and Health, have recently granted permanent positions to thousands of contract workers, the coordinators of the Justice Centers believe it is time for the justice system to apply the principles of fairness it upholds to itself. "Local justice can only be credible if it begins by delivering justice to those who serve it," concluded one coordinator, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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Merci pour la publication
Que l opinion publique et les autorités sachent ce que l on vit on en a assez de cette situation de précarité qui a trop duré
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