Mozambican Mobile Judge Wins Innovating Justice Award 2013
The Mozambican 'Mobile Judge' (O Juiz Movel), Ernesto Martinho is winner of the Award for Innovative Ideas.
The Mobile Judge was introduced 2 years ago by the Dutch WageIndicator Foundation, an organisation that promotes labour market transparency worldwide. In Mozambique companies and workers usually have limited knowledge of labour law and fail to live up to obligations such as, for instance, payment of the legal minimum wage. This makes labour relations unnecessarily difficult.
In a daily television show, attracting some 4 million viewers on prime (lunch) time, presenter Ernesto Martinho (32) resolves existing labour conflicts for free. This 'Mobile Judge' concept has been nominated for the Innovating Justice Award, put up by HiiL, a non-profit advisory and counselling institute for legal affairs, established in The Hague. 11 December Martinho won the award!
At the ceremony, Hiil Director Sam Muller said:" "I am always inspired seeing how much amazing, quality work is happening all around the world to make justice better. We had a record-breaking 93 entries for this year's competition. The calibre of innovations was so high that choosing nine finalists and then three winners was tough - but at the same time exhilarating when so much good work is happening in so many countries."
Ernesto Martinho, Mobile Judge TV presenter said "Using national media has been key to Mobile Judge's success but it cannot be overemphasized how free counselling is the basic prerequisite for the success of the entire trial process. The Mobile Judge is the working peoples' problem solver."
“WageIndicator is proud that we could think along to make the concept into what it is today. The greatest joy of course is that it helps to foster the position of workers in day to day Mozambican reality. The Mobile Judge now already is famous in Mozambique. Ernesto cannot walk the street without being recognized and approached for counsel” says Paulien Osse, Director of the WageIndicator Foundation.
A professional jury decided on the winning idea of 2013 amongst these 6 final candidates. The Award is meant to find, support and improve Innovating Justice-concepts and disseminate them further. The authoritative HiiL-network is instrumental in the promotion of these Award-winning ideas.
