A/HRC/40/62 the freedom to manifest beliefs are permitted if such restrictions are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.23 25. At the regional level, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights encompasses essential elements of the right to fair trial. The African Union has adopted the Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa, which set forth the right to equal access to lawyers and free legal aid. 26. Article 9 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa obliges States to undertake appropriate and effective measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to justice on an equal basis with others, including through the provision of procedurally and age- and genderappropriate accommodations, in order to facilitate their effective roles as participants in all legal proceedings. 27. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) provides in article 23 for special protection for women with disabilities by specifically noting that such women have the right to freedom from violence, including sexual abuse, freedom from discrimination based on disability and the right to be treated with dignity. Article 8 emphasizes effective access to justice and equal protection of the law for women. 28. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the American Convention on Human Rights both echo the above-mentioned regional and international standards on access to justice and reiterate that this right encompasses free and equitable legal assistance. 29. Globally, Member States have consented to ensure equal justice for all (Sustainable Development Goal 16) and pledged to leave no one behind, beginning with the furthest behind first. This aspiration is critical for persons with albinism, who constitute some of the poorest and most marginalized and are often left out of policy decisions for critical sectors, including access to justice. 30. The potential of international and regional human rights frameworks in ensuring equal access to justice for persons with albinism remains underutilized. There is therefore ample opportunity to use the current human rights framework to develop specific State policies and practices that address the specific needs of persons with albinism within the justice system, as well as to strengthen the efficacy with which the concerns of persons with albinism are addressed. IV. Barriers in accessing justice Social and cultural barriers 31. Various sociocultural and financial barriers inhibit access to justice for persons with albinism, including stigma and discrimination, lack of family support as well as the direct and indirect costs of accessing justice, all of which lead to social ostracism. Such societal exclusion and stigmatization inhibit knowledge of and access to the justice system. Social stigma within society also predisposes key stakeholders in the justice system against persons with albinism. Hence, some key actors in the justice system have prejudices and respond to stereotypes that prevent a safe and enabling environment for persons with albinism to access justice. Consequently, persons with albinism are more likely to experience poverty arising from social exclusion. In some countries, the stigma also affects their families, further hindering their socioeconomic opportunities. 32. In this context, limited financial capacity has been cited as a critical factor hindering persons with albinism from accessing justice, including from reporting or availing 23 Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 22 (1993) on freedom of thought, conscience and religion. 7