- There is a lack of political will to change existing policies and infrastructure to support a greater response to violence against women and girls. As a result, budgets are insufficient, improvements are slow or nonexistent, and training may be dependent upon outside funding, which affects sustainability of programmes.
- Training for new judges and prosecutors and ongoing training for existing judges and prosecutors may be insufficient on international women’s human rights principles and country laws, policies, and procedures.
- Stakeholders (judges, prosecutors, politicians, and others) may have an interest in maintaining the status quo, thus contributing to women’s mistrust of the justice sector.
- There may be a lack of national qualification standards for judges and prosecutors. Without a clear statement of criteria, appointments may be made based upon influence or prejudice.
- There may be a lack of detailed codes of ethical conduct for judges and prosecutors.
- Criminal procedure codes may impinge on rights of parties and should allow for timely trials, legal counsel, and other basic rights.