The use of low-cost legal technology to enhance access to justice for women in Tanzania

这项研究的动机是需要解决全球明显的“正义差距”。据估计，全世界有15亿人（五分之一的人）有无法解决的司法问题。在坦桑尼亚，这个问题被放大了。在普通人可负担、可获得和有效的司法解决方案方面，坦桑尼亚在全球排名第76/128位（世界司法项目，2020年），其中妇女受到的影响尤其严重（Dancer， 2015年）。旨在解决这种诉诸司法危机的实际解决办法往往既昂贵又繁琐。在坦桑尼亚，律师助理、社区司法提供者和非正式的争端解决方法在司法服务提供和争端解决方面发挥着关键作用，但仍有许多公民没有途径来满足他们的司法需求。信息和通信技术（ICT），如移动电话、互联网和计算机网络，已在全球范围内用于改善社会和经济发展，并正在成为国际发展的工具（ICT4D）。在坦桑尼亚，全国移动电话普及率（拥有移动电话的家庭）估计为86%，93%的坦桑尼亚人可以使用移动电话（Lotto,2018）。最近在坦桑尼亚开展的国际发展项目将移动电话用于小额信贷、教育、营养和农业活动。利用信息通信技术（特别是移动电话）提供法律服务，为这一部门的转型提供了机会，为在各级司法服务提供中增加公民参与创造了机会，特别是为妇女创造了机会。作为坦桑尼亚人口最多的城市和经济中心，达累斯萨拉姆（Dar）是坦桑尼亚移动电话普及率最高的城市之一，将成为本研究的重点（GSMA,2019）。当前使用ICT4D的一个重大限制是，许多干预措施是由工程师在远离使用地点数千英里的地方建造的，与后殖民制度关系相互关联，将控制权和资本转移给外部参与者，使用需要持续维护和资金的工具来实现长期可持续的变化或大规模效益（Linus, 2020）。这项研究是对这些机会和限制的回应。本研究将与坦桑尼亚法律服务提供商合作，采用参与式设计流程构建数字司法服务工具，并对共同为坦桑尼亚妇女提供有效和可持续的数字司法解决方案进行批判性研究。本研究将通过开发一种低成本、可扩展的数字司法工具来弥合司法差距并支持妇女的法律赋权，从而为这一领域做出新的贡献；同时，为发展信息通信技术促进可持续发展提供与参与式方法相关的学习。

This research is motivated by a need to address the 'justice gap' that is evident globally. It isestimated that 1.5 billion people worldwide (one in 5 people) have justice problems that theycannot solve . In Tanzania this problem is amplified. Tanzania is ranked 76/128 globally onmeasures of affordable, accessible and effective justice solutions for ordinary people (WorldJustice Project, 2020 ), with women being disproportionately affected (Dancer, 2015).Practical solutions directed at addressing this access to justice crisis are often costly andcumbersome. In Tanzania, paralegals, community justice providers and informal methods ofdispute resolution play a critical role in justice service delivery and dispute resolution butthere are still many citizens left without a pathway to address their justice needs.Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as mobile phones, internet andcomputer networks, have been utilised globally to improve social and economicdevelopment, and are emerging as tools for international development (ICT4D). In Tanzania,mobile phone penetration (households with mobile phone ownership) is estimated at 86%countrywide with 93% of Tanzanians having access to a mobile phone (Lotto,2018). Recentinternational development programmes in Tanzania have leveraged mobile phones for microfinance, education, nutrition, and agriculture activities. The provision of legal services usingICT, particularly mobile phones, presents an opportunity to transform this sector, creatingopportunities for increased citizen engagement across all levels of justice service delivery,particularly for women. As the most populous city in Tanzania, and an economic hub, Dar esSalaam (Dar) has one of the highest levels of mobile phone penetration in Tanzania and willbe the focus of this study (GSMA,2019).A significant limitation of the current use of ICT4D is that many of the interventions are builtby engineers thousands of miles away from the site of use, interlinked with postcolonialinstitutional relationships, diverting control and capital towards external actors, using toolsthat need ongoing maintenance and funding to achieve long-term sustainable change orbenefits at scale (Linus, 2020).This research is a response to these opportunities and limitations. Using a participatorydesign process to build a digital justice service tool in collaboration with Tanzanian legalservice providers, this study will critically examine the co-generation of an effective andsustainable digital justice solution for women in Dar.This research will make a novel contribution to this field by developing a low-cost, scalabledigital justice tool to bridge the justice gap and support women's legal empowerment; whilegenerating learning relating to participatory approaches for developing ICT for sustainabledevelopment.