Lagos, Nigeria(CNN) High costs, unfair treatment, corruption and lack of trust are just some of the reasons Africans are struggling to get justice, a study revealed.
The report, published by Afrobarometer, a pan-African and non-partisan research network, explored access to justice in Africa and the results show that citizens on the continent generally avoid taking cases to court, with only one in eight people reporting contact with courts in the past five years.
"All citizens are experiencing problems," said Dr. Carolyn Logan, deputy director of Afrobarometer. "Long delays in handling or resolving cases, high expense, having a hard time getting access to legal counsel and understanding the law."
"People who are less well off -- poorer Africans -- are having significantly worse experiences with the justice system than their wealthier counterparts," Logan said.
Low trust in courts
Trust is one of the main reasons Africans do not go to courts, with just 53% of respondents saying that they trust courts a lot and one in three saying they believe most or all judges engage in corruption.
The report said Africans generally trust religious leaders, the army and traditional leaders more than the courts.
But the pattern does vary from country to country. In Niger, Namibia, Mauritius, Burundi and Malawi, more than 70% of respondents said they trust the courts somewhat or a lot, compared to less than 35% of the people in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Logan says these differences arise because of the overall quality of governance in respective countries, particularly issues concerning corruption. Southern Africa, for example, was the best performing region and it has very low levels of corruption.
"If you've got a high level of corruption it spills over to other issues around the court like having trustworthy judges, having good access to legal counsel and being able to get fair outcomes in court," Logan added.
Post-conflict countries struggle the most
Post-conflict countries are facing some of the biggest challenges in providing access to justice for their citizens, Logan says.
From full-scale civil wars to significant episodes of election-related violence, 14 of the 36 countries surveyed have experienced some form of conflict.
Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been battered by civil war and each scored poorly in terms of access to justice.
Unrest in Burundi
An opposition demonstrator points a mock gun at soldiers in Bujumbura, Burundi, on Wednesday, June 3. Animosity against Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza boiled over in April when he expressed his intention to run for a third term. There have been demonstrations and a failed coup attempt.
A young Burundian boy tries to cover himself as police officers beat him at an anti-government demonstration in Bujumbura on Tuesday, May 26.
Police detain a protester at an anti-government demonstration in Bujumbura on May 26.
Armed with sticks, members of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party, grab a protester Monday, May 25, in Bujumbura.
A Burundian soldier fires a shot toward protesters at an anti-government demonstration in Bujumbura on May 25.
The body of Zedi Feruzi, a political opposition leader, lies on a road near his home in Bujumbura's Ngagara district on Saturday, May 23. He was
killed in a drive-by shooting.
An anti-government protester throws a rock at police officers in Bujumbura on Thursday, May 21.
Protesters pull electrical cable to topple a power pole at an anti-government demonstration in Bujumbura on May 21.
A protester stands by a burning barricade in Bujumbura on May 21.
Police officers hold a position in Bujumbura on Wednesday, May 20.
Protesters gather stones to throw at police on May 20.
A police officer and a plainclothes member of the Intelligence Services kick a protester in Bujumbura on May 20.
Burundians wait to be transferred to a refugee camp on May 20.
A police officer fires tear gas toward protesters on May 20.
People in Bujumbura demonstrate against Nkurunziza on Saturday, May 16. A
coup attempt in the central African nation failed earlier in the week.
Gen. Niyungeko Juvenal, at center in handcuffs, is taken to the Supreme Court in Bujumbura on May 16. Seventeen alleged coup plotters appeared before a prosecutor.
Government spokesman Willy Nyamitwe is carried by supporters in Bujumbura on Friday, May 15, as people celebrate Nkurunziza's return after the failed coup attempt.
People line the streets as they celebrate the return of Nkurunziza on May 15. Burundian authorities said they arrested the military generals behind the attempted coup shortly after the President returned to the country.
A civilian jumps over a barricade erected by residents to protect themselves from police in Bujumbura on Thursday, May 14.
Smoke rises from several buildings near the port in Bujumbura on May 14.
Police grab a man at a protest in Bujumbura on Wednesday, May 13.
Burundi police and army forces face protesters on May 13 at a demonstration against Nkurunziza in Bujumbura.
Demonstrators take part in a protest in Bujumbura on May 13.
Burundi police and army forces run on May 13 after protesters threw stones during a demonstration in Bujumbura.
With army soldiers riding in an armored vehicle, demonstrators in Bujumbura celebrate the reported coup attempt on May 13.
A man raises his arms as people celebrate in the streets of Bujumbura on May 13 after a radio announcement that Nkurunziza was overthrown.
Burundians carry an injured man after security forces clashed with demonstrators in Bujumbura on May 13.
Burundian refugees gather at the shore of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania as they wait for a ferry to take them to Kigoma township on Tuesday, May 12. Government officials in Tanzania told local media that at least 80,000 refugees have arrived in Kigoma since Burundi's pre-election skirmishes began.
Smoke rises after security forces fired tear gas during a protest on May 12 in Bujumbura.
"(In Liberia) many physical structures were damaged, basic resources such as printed legal materials were destroyed," said Pewee Flomoku, head of party for the Carter Center in Liberia. "Trained personnel were lost, and corruption was widespread due to the need to survive."
The Carter Center is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve access to justice for marginalized citizens.
Traditional trial by village chief as judge in tribal village court, Kpelle tribe, Liberia, Africa.
Flomoku says citizens in rural areas face more challenges, as there is less accountability and fewer courts, leading to people falling back on traditional justice.
Access to justice is one of the targets for the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Despite having a long way to go, Logan says, real gains are possible if governments are willing to take action.
Policemen stand guard in front of Ghana's Supreme Court on August 29 in Accra.
She points to Ghana as an example. After a 2014 Afrobarometer report found incidents of corruption in the Ghanaian judiciary, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood called for a purge of the Ghanaian judiciary and spoke out about corruption often.
"One of the things we hope governments will do with (the findings) is look at them and see how well their system is performing in the eyes of their own citizens and to look for ways that they can improve their performance," she said.