CEJA Highlights the Importance of Data to Make Afro-Descendant Populations Visible in Justice Systems across the Americas

December 1, 2025
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The Justice Studies Center of the Americas (CEJA) participated in the International Workshop “Interculturality Approach in Policies for Afro-Descendant Populations”, organized by the Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Network of High Authorities for Afro-Descendant Populations (RIAFRO) of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The Justice Studies Center of the Americas (CEJA) participated in the International Workshop “Interculturality Approach in Policies for Afro-Descendant Populations”, organized by the Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Network of High Authorities for Afro-Descendant Populations (RIAFRO) of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In its presentation, CEJA emphasized that data generation is the first step toward making Afro-descendant populations visible within justice systems. “The production of disaggregated statistical information is key for justice systems in the Americas to fully understand the experiences, trajectories, and inequalities faced by Afro-descendant people,” stated CEJA’s Executive Director, Nataly Ponce. Such information, she added, makes it possible to identify risks of discrimination, plan services and budgets territorially, and design evidence-based public policies.

The presentation also addressed the role of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (ADR), such as conciliation and out-of-court mediation, highlighting the need to strengthen data generation to better characterize Afro-descendant users of these services and the outcomes achieved. Having this information will make it possible to assess the impact of ADR mechanisms and expand their accessibility for Afro-descendant communities.

What data should be produced to make Afro-descendant populations visible and move toward intercultural justice?

Profiling of Afro-descendant users: to identify gaps, guarantee rights, and design evidence-based policies.
Data on procedural trajectories and experiences: to assess the legal needs of Afro-descendant individuals, identify recurring types of cases, analyze processing times, and establish patterns in judicial decisions.
Data on institutional frameworks and system performance: to measure representativeness, structural biases, and service quality.

Strategic use of data in ADR mechanisms for Afro-descendant populations

Identification of gaps, biases, and structural discrimination:
Disaggregated data will make it possible to recognize patterns of inequality in access, quality of treatment, and outcomes in ADR mechanisms.
Guidance for evidence-based reforms:
Data will support regulatory adjustments, redesign of ADR services, and improvements in service delivery models.
Design of intercultural protocols for formal justice and ADR mechanisms:
Evidence will facilitate the development of guidelines and procedures that integrate an intercultural approach into the implementation of ADR mechanisms.
Inclusion of Afro-descendant communities in the territorial provision of ADR services:
Identifying areas with greater demand or higher access barriers will help direct resources, services, and teams to Afro-descendant territories where attention is most urgently needed.
Monitoring, evaluation, and accountability:
Data production will make it possible to measure progress, identify setbacks, and assess the performance of ADR mechanisms in relation to the needs of Afro-descendant populations.

📹 Watch the full presentation here.

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