This report presents the results of a detailed diagnostic study of public perceptions of the justice and security sectors in the Central African Republic (CAR) conducted in fall 2016. Published in 2017.

Based on interviews with 2,650 adult residents of the city of Bangui, the report examines citizens’ experiences of violence, insecurity, conflict resolution and social cohesion, along with citizens’ perceptions of specific justice sector actors, self‐perceived knowledge of the justice system, and expectations with regards to police and the courts.

The study was initiated by the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative as a means to inform its efforts to support justice sector reforms in the country, and by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s Peace and Human Rights Data program.

The survey took place three years after the Séléka alliance of rebel groups seized power in a coup that exacerbated existing local‐level conflicts. The results are intended for use by any researcher or practitioner involved with the justice and security sectors in CAR.

Originally posted on https://www.americanbar.org/