'Judiciary for Juniors' concludes successfully

The ‘Judiciary for Juniors’ program, aimed at young women and men between the ages of 15 - 20, in the Maldives, kicked off on 17 December and ended on Saturday with the participation of 40 young men and women.

The program is run by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Maldives in collaboration with the Department for Judicial Administration (DJA) and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The UK government also offered support for the program.

The eight-day program sought to strengthen students' knowledge of the justice system and access to justice while fostering interest in the judiciary and judicial positions among future law students and students in general.

"We have been thinking about it for a long time - that young people and the judiciary, or rather, their exposure to judiciary is limited. So, we were thinking of the best way we can have an intro into judiciary [sort of course] in an engaging sort of way. [We] partnered with 15 different institutions within the judiciary to formulate an eight-day workshop," Umar Maavee Ali, the Program Officer from UNDP said.

The program was formulated with the intention to inspire young people to pursue career goals in the judicial sphere, including judicial offices, administrative systems, policy-making, law enforcement, and media and communications. It promotes a transparent culture within the judiciary and educates the younger generation, who are being exposed to the judicial system for the first time, on important aspects of due process, such as how a court matter is handled through the due process.

The last day of the program ended with a Moot Session. The participants in the moot court session analysed a topic, researched the pertinent law, drafted written submissions, and delivered an oral argument to simulate a court hearing.

"My experience was really, really good," Rushdan, a participant said. "I didn’t expect it to be this great - to learn a lot and go to Supreme Court, to come to the High Court and meet all the judges."

The junior participants received a comprehensive training over the course of the eight days, from courtroom etiquette and judicial structure to case studies and the composition of magistrate courts.

"I actually thought this would be a workshop where I would just sit and listen to people. What I didn’t expect was going places, seeing how they work, especially the courts. I didn't expect we would come to Theemuge, which I was so excited about," Saaha, another participant said.

"I am an A’level student, so I mostly know about the UK and the Crown system. I didn’t know much about the Maldivian system. I learned about the court hierarchy, what the JSC does, what DJA does. I didn’t know DJA existed until now. And the Bar Council that was formed recently, and how judges work, how hard lawyers work - I learned how hard these people work in general," Saaha elaborated.

“Simply put, we do what we do, because everyone deserves a good judge. Despite how challenging our mission may be, I am confident that we will be able to transform our system for the better. Our work here aims to increase the confidence of the people that justice will be served,” stated Hissaan Hussain, the President of JSC, at the program's inauguration ceremony.

The British High Commissioner to the Maldives, Caron Röhsler, remarked, “A country's crucial national infrastructure must include a robust justice and judicial system. Participants in this program will gain a thorough awareness of the moral and intellectual problems associated with a career in the judges and courts as well as knowledge of the administration and how it all functions.”

"UNDP has been a long-time partner to reinforce the Maldives Judiciary, supporting the development of reliable institutions capable of upholding the rule of law for the people." commented UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives, Enrico Gaveglia.