Access to justice is a broad concept that refers to the methods by which citizens are able to get legal information and legal services and have their disputes resolved. It includes access to court procedures, to legal aid and to extra-legal mechanisms to resolve conflicts. Effective access to justice does not refer only to reductions in costs, access to lawyers and access to courts; instead, it is a broad term that refers more generally to the effectiveness of a justice system in meeting the dispute resolution needs of its citizens. For citizens to be able to seek and access justice, they must be legally empowered.
On the global level data show that 4 billion people around the world live outside the protection of the law, mostly because they are poor or marginalized. The Republic of Macedonia is no exception. The Republic of Macedonia is classified as an upper middle income country. In 2015 according to the State Statistical Office (based on the Survey on Income and Living Conditions) the poverty rate was 21.5%. Limited access to justice for poor, Roma and other marginalized communities has provoked the establishment of different forms of legal aid modalities. Currently there are three modalities of provision of free legal aid and services in Macedonia, namely provision of preliminary free legal aid, community-based paralegals, and lawyering for the marginalized.
Компаративна анализа на степенот на реактивна и проактивна транспарентност кај седум институции од јавниот и од здравствениот сектор за 2017 година
