OpenTrial

OpenTrial harnesses the internet so the poor in poor nations aren't violated & denied the opportunity to advance due to legal system corruption/violence.

The Problem

Respect for the law by the authorities and the ideal of equality before the law are the bedrock of prosperous and democratic societies in the developed world. Sadly, four billion people on this planet do not enjoy these privileges. They are the poor of this world with, as a consequence, little chance of improving their lot. More often than not their legal systems are dysfunctional through being riddled with corruption and violence, and it is this that not only permits serious human rights abuse, but also blights the country the system is supposed to serve, retarding social, political and economic development..

Our Solution

Legal systems in many developing countries are little more than transplants from European former colonial countries and, because they are culturally inappropriate and viewed as a means of oppression, they are often not at all fit for purpose. Indeed, they are often riddled with corruption and violence. If these are to reform and operate effectively, transparency of their workings must be enhanced so that public pressure can bring about necessary and appropriate changes. The internet provides the ideal medium to do achieve this and, therefore, tackle the root cause of poverty and abuse. Despite their considerable resources, rule of law programmes often fail because they do not embrace society. OpenTrial, on the other hand, fully recognises that without holistic societal engagement and ownership the rule of law cannot take hold. With this in mind, OpenTrial harnesses changing dynamics to help strengthen the rule of law by developing technological solutions that greatly improve transparency, accountability and inclusivity - thus empowering people to bring about appropriate legal / judicial system reform in their own societies - as well as improving access to justice and equality-before-the-law. Starting with Indonesia, OpenTrial will be working with its local partners to load legal system data and information - such as police, judicial and prosecutorial system profiles and office holders' profiles – onto the internet.

Our Story & Why You Should Support Us

How did I get to found OpenTrial? I wanted very much to 'do some good', but my decade-long effort to improve education in Indonesia was stymied by the corrupt. So I have direct personal experience of how destructive legal system corruption is. My human rights were violated on a grand scale and my schools milked to destruction. What further evidence is needed of how such dysfunction violates human dignity and retards entire nations? Fortunately, mine is a solution-oriented approach and doing things differently is in my blood. Hence OpenTrial, an innovative and world-changing enterprise, based on very careful research, that could be replicated around the globe. After graduating from university I trained as a lawyer, I come from a business family, can contrast a society subject to the rule of law with one which is not, have a good command of ICT, am well regarded for my published articles on the rule of law, and have successively established and run enterprises of a cosmopolitan nature. I am confident I can take this forward; but, of course, it is essential I am able to call on the help of many others if OpenTrial is to fulfill its potential to help lift millions out of poverty and violation. I have the law, business, social concern and doing things differently in my blood, hence OpenTrial, an innovative and world-changing enterprise. But it needs sophisticated websites onto which collected data can be loaded. This is an enterprise that could be replicated around the world and eventually draw on the huge budgets that currently exist for building the rule of law. But OpenTrial would actually produce results, helping lift millions out of poverty and violation.

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