ADB Equips Timorese Judges, Prosecutors, and Police Officers with Tools to Facilitate Access to Justice for Victim-Survivors of Violence against Women and Girls
On 25 April 2025, ADB made modest yet high-impact contributions to support Timor-Leste's efforts to improve the treatment of victim-survivors and witnesses in cases of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Responding to a request from the Department of Support for Vulnerable People (DSVP) of the Timor-Leste National Police, ADB provided 88 units of Sony digital audio recorders to aid in the investigation of VAWG cases. The recorders will enable DSVP officers to gather and preserve evidence more effectively and to potentially reduce the instances of repetitive—and often trauma-inducing—questioning of victim-survivors and witnesses.
To further enhance evidence gathering, ADB also donated 41 flexible dividers with wheels—33 to the Office of the Prosecutor General and 8 to the DSVP. The dividers will serve as privacy screens, helping victim-survivors and witnesses feel less exposed when sharing sensitive information during investigations and while prosecutors build their case. With these portable dividers, prosecutors and justice and police officers can create safe spaces for victim-survivors and witnesses wherever and whenever necessary.
Additionally, to further enhance the expertise of judges in gender-based violence (GBV) cases, ADB developed a comprehensive knowledge resource from a 2022 ADB-led training on effective adjudication of VAWG cases. The resource includes comprehensive and structured summaries of the lectures, including discussions on best practices, legal sources, case studies, and lessons learned. The content is organized into seven modules covering (i) socio-cultural and legal norms; (ii) risk factors, causes, and impact of violence against women; (iii) challenges and difficulties faced by women and girls in the formal justice system; (iv) court environment and processes for women and vulnerable victims and witnesses, including those with disabilities; (v) gender-sensitive conduct and questioning of children exposed to gender-based violence; (vi) principles and practices in relation to sentencing, compensation, and reparation; and (vii) attrition, settlement, withdrawal, and finalization of VAWG cases. Printed copies of the two-volume resource (Volume I: Portuguese and Tetum, Volume II: English) were provided to the President of the Court of Appeal for distribution to all judges and judicial libraries nationwide. This resource will serve as an easy-to-consult reference on critical aspects of GBV cases.
These contributions were made under ADB’s Promotion of Gender–Responsive Judicial Systems Technical Assistance, implemented by the Office of the General Counsel’s Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program since 2021. This technical assistance applies a whole-of-sector approach to reforming the Timorese justice system, with capacity building events organized for judges in December 2022, for prosecutors in August 2023, and for justice officers in June 2024. For 2025, ADB has planned training intensive training workshops for DSVP police officers and for public defenders.