What is SJIP
The Syria Justice Innovation Process (SJIP) is a Syrian-led initiative launched in 2018 to co-create practical solutions to everyday justice problems. At its core is the Stakeholder Team, a group of thirty respected Syrians including judges, lawyers, civil society actors, entrepreneurs, and academics who represent the country’s diversity, with women making up more than half the members.
Meeting regularly in safe spaces, they analyse justice needs data, agree on shared priorities, and set Justice Innovation Goals in areas such as documentation, housing and property rights, protection from violence, and the right to work.
Supported by HiiL as a neutral convener, SJIP ensures ownership remains firmly with Syrians.
Justice Innovation Goals
We assessed and discussed the everyday legal problems faced by Syrians, and chose six areas to focus on. These are our Justice Innovation Goals, and together with their respective targets they guide our innovation efforts and design of solutions.
Reducing violence and discrimination against women
Targets:
- Reduce harassment in the workplace.
- Reduce domestic violence.
- Raise awareness about the importance of equal rights and duties and prevent gender-based discrimination.
- Reduce discrimination against women in laws and legislation.
Syrians have safe and effective access to personal documents.
Targets:
- Increase the access of Syrians to their official personal documents, including in neighboring countries.
- Register civil documents.
- Provide legal assistance to all persons divested and deprived of their nationality, to persons unregistered according to previous and current regulations and legislation, and to persons who were born in Syria and did not acquire another nationality by virtue of their birth.
Syrians have access to their full rights to housing, land and property
Targets:
- Raise awareness of Syrians about their rights to housing, land and property.
- Enable Syrians to document their rights to housing, land and property.
- Resolve disputes related to the rights of Syrians to housing, land and property through innovative mechanisms.
Children have access to protection, education and health services guaranteed by international law
Targets:
- Support children to access their fundamental rights including education in accordance with the provisions of international and Syrian law.
- Reduce recruitment of children in Syria and reintegrate them into society.
- Help the children most in need, particularly those in camps, in obtaining their right to the necessary physical and psychological health care.
- Reduce early marriage, harassment, exploitation and physical and psychological abuse of children.
Syrians have access to public services which are guaranteed by laws and regulations
Targets:
- Raise awareness of Syrians about their rights to access public services.
- Enable Syrians to evaluate the performance of public services in order to achieve access and quality.
Syrians and others are safe and protected from murder, arbitrary detention, arrest and other forms of threats and violations that endanger their lives and freedoms by all authorities, parties and groups as guaranteed by Syrian and international law
Targets:
- Increase the protection of all individuals, especially those working in the fields of civil society and political parties, as well as activists, and enhance the protection of their rights.
- Reduce the role of exceptional courts significantly and replace them with courts adhering to international standards.
- Detainees, prisoners and arrested persons are treated in a manner consistent with international conventions and basic human rights principles.
Looking ahead
The coming years will be decisive for Syria’s transition. SJIP offers a proven mechanism to meet urgent needs in real time while building the trust and legal certainty required for recovery and peace.
