Abstract:
This paper reviews the realizations of the right to access to justice for PWD in civil matters
beforeFederal Courts ln Addis Ababa.Persons with disabilities are vulnerable groups of people.
Approximately one billion people or 15 percent of the global population experience some form of
disability and there were 15 million PWDs in Ethiopia, representing 17.6% of the total population
at the time of the study was conducted. The right to access to justice is a fundamental human right
in itself and an essential means to realize another human right for PWD. In addition, the right to
access to justice is the basic right for PWDs to rectify any human right violations . There are
international,regional and national legislation which protect the rights of access to justice in
general and United nation convention on the right of persons with disabilities in particular. To
achieve the objective, the researcher used qualitative and doctrinal research method .Based on
data gathered this paper found that PWD's right to access justice cannot realized in line with
signed and ratified United nation convention of persons with disability due to legal as well as
practical barriers. PWDs face significant problems in accessing justice because of existed
outdated provision, physical unreachability of the buildings hosting the courts, communicational
obstacles with the persons working in the institutions of justice; lack of accessible information,
delay of proceeding, lack of available and accessable free legal aid ,lack of available training
for justice organs on PWD right to accommodate them ,social attitude affect PWD; financial
problem , the unwillingness of PWD to exercise their right and the nominal extent of the State
on effectively discharging its obligations to realise the right to access to justice for PWD in civil
cases.Accordingly, this research recommended that national laws and practical implementation
on the right to access justice in civil matter should be harmonized to be in line with signed and
ratified United nation convention on the right of persons with disabilities.
