THE HAGUE – SOLUTIONS FOR ACCES TO LEGAL SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS

The Municipality of The Hague is conducting research that may contribute to solving or preventing legal problems for residents of the city.
There are more than 5 billion people worldwide who have difficulty accessing legal services, and therefore have legal problems that have not yet been resolved. This is referred to as the so-called justice gap. In The Hague, the city of Peace and Justice, residents experience obstacles in the search for just outcomes. To improve access to legal services (goal 16) in The Hague, the municipality, in collaboration with NGO HiiL (The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law), set up a study researching the access to legal services for residents of The Hague. The study consisted of a Justice Needs Survey (JNS) among residents of The Hague with questions about the legal problems they are experiencing and about finding the solution to these problems. In addition, interviews were held with vulnerable groups through various community centres in The Hague. A stakeholder survey was also part of the study. Discussions were held with social counsellors, the municipal ombudsman and various NGOs who work on access to justice on a daily basis. All this has provided a broad overview of the problems that exist in The Hague with regard to access to legal services.

Results of the study
The study shows that 55% of the people who completed the survey have or have had one or more legal problems in recent years. The most common problems people experience are related to neighbours (such as noise pollution), followed by housing, crimes and traffic. It also appears that 56% of the problems have not yet been resolved at this time. It is therefore important to look at what can be improved. The research shows that there is a great deal of advice and information on legal issues, but that there is a need for integrated and holistic legal care, in which aftercare also plays a role. This year, the Municipality of The Hague is again working with HiiL to find the right solution for access to justice for residents of The Hague.

Legal problems
The Municipality of The Hague and HiiL want to contribute to the prevention and resolution of legal problems in The Hague. Knowledge of law can prevent problems, but this knowledge is currently not sufficiently available. Not everyone knows that a legal process can be prevented with the help of a mediator or an adviser, for example. When legal action is taken, it is important that legal problems are resolved in an accessible, understandable and affordable way in which good outcomes for the people should be a central focus point. The HiiL survey therefore focuses on the question of whether people have come to a just solution.

It is the first time that such a study has been carried out at a local level. HiiL has previously done this at a national level in the Netherlands, but mostly internationally. The data collected during this study is particularly important for cities to have access to. Based on all this data, targeted work can be done to find a solution for access to legal services and real concrete steps can be taken to achieve Global Goal 16 in The Hague. The Hague is very interested in how other cities around the world find solutions. Which solutions work there? Are these also applicable in The Hague? In addition, The Hague is also happy to share its acquired knowledge with other cities, in order to learn more from each other and ultimately reduce the justice gap. For this reason, the study has been notified to the United Nations as a concrete action contributing to Global Goal 16.

Related: Read more practical examples in the International category