Human Rights chatbot Tisya Hustisya is only PH finalist at the World Justice Forum 2022

Online legal platform Tisya Hustisya, created by local non-government organization Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Inc., will be representing the country at this year’s World Justice Forum as the only Philippine finalist out of 305 submissions from around the globe.

The Tisya Hustisya initiative has been chosen under the Access to Justice category of The World Justice Challenge (WJC) for its innovative approach in upholding human rights.

Lodged in Facebook as the most accessible online platform for Filipinos, Tisya Hustisya was initially created to provide free legal advice and address misinformation during the onset of the pandemic in the country. It aimed to respond to prevalent rights abuses amid confusing government protocols and a militarized-approach to implementing quarantine lockdowns. The dire need of Filipinos for accessible justice became apparent to IDEALS when the group received around 9,000 legal queries in just a few months and inspired the idea of a more streamlined virtual legal platform.

To date, Tisya Hustisya has provided legal aid to over 25,000 Filipinos since its launch in June 2020. Among the top concerns the team had to respond to were domestic violence, labor issues, and human rights violations such as red-tagging.

Throughout its implementation, Tisya Hustisya has since evolved into a one-stop shop for Filipinos’ legal needs, including rights-awareness and a referral pathway for clients to be directed to appropriate government agencies.

Tisya Hustisya is also a pioneer for its Social Behavior Campaign which aims to encourage clients to be more proactive in claiming their rights. Beyond the legal advice and informative materials posted on the Tisya Hustisya Facebook page, the campaign was set up so clients can engage with other citizens with similar concerns. Three groups were launched according to identified top legal issues faced by clients, namely human rights, labor rights, and women’s rights.

Taking into account that 80% of Tisya’s clientele is female, IDEALS was also able to produce a study on the impact of the pandemic on women’s rights in the Philippines.

As one of the 10 international finalists under the category, Tisya has been recognized by the World Justice Project (WJP), an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to create knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide.

The WJP initiated the WJC, a global prize competition to identify, recognize and promote good practices and high-impact projects and policies that advance the rule of law.

This year’s challenge, “Building More Just Communities,” is dedicated to addressing structural inequities and governance weaknesses exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. The WJC called for entries that strengthen the foundational elements of the rule of law, support a just recovery from COVID-19, and tackle the root causes of societies’ persistent inability to deliver a dignified life for all.

The World Justice Forum will take place in The Hague, Netherlands on May 30 to June 2, 2022.