Community Legal Services for Access to Justice

Implementation By:

BLAST-YPSA Consortium

Supported By:

Community Legal Services (CLS), Maxwell Stamp PLC and DFID

Project Duration:

From 1st July 2014 to 31 March 2017

Aim of the Project

To facilitate access to justice for marginalised and vulnerable communities in hard to reach areas through community empowerment and access to quality legal services in selected areas in Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar district.

Objectives:

To increase community’s awareness and knowledge of the formal legal system, available legal services, and pathways for accessing remedies in cases of injustice.

To improve delivery of community legal services by building the capacity of justice service providers to increase their responsiveness to community needs.

To ensure the delivery of fair and equitable legal services through CLS centers in collaboration with relevant GO-NGO initiatives and organizations.

Project Working Area:

Name of Districts	Sub-Districts	Number of Union
Chittagong	Fotikchari	20
	Rangunia	16
	Sandwhip upazilla	15
Cox’s bazaar	Moheshkhali Upazilla	09
	Kutubdia Upazilla	06
	Ramu upazilla	11

Project Output-Activities:

Output 1: Poor and marginalized group are legally empowered to claim all sorts of available legal services at their own community for seeking remedies

Activity 1.1: Legal education for the awareness of the target groups

Sub: activity:

 Bazar Meeting

 Cultural Campaign e.g video shows, street theater, folk songs

 Day Observation (Human rights day, National legal aid day)

 Court yard Meeting through flip charts with Women and Girls

 Publications like posters, digitally printed poster, stickers, Installation of bill boards in upazilla, Installation of sign board in CLS centre, wall writings, pictorial flipchart for court yard meeting

 Broadcast messages through Community Radio in Swandip Island e.g folk song, talking drama, public opinion and interview.

 Produce digital Talking book.

Activity 1.2: Forming CLS coalitions at Upazilla level for providing assistance for legal education on the legal rights and the available legal services with the representatives of civil society

Sub: activity:

 Orientation workshop to formulate coalition of different active civil society Representatives to act on legal protection for the poor and marginalized in the local community

 Planning Workshop of coalitions for sharing experiences and future activities on legal protection for the poor and marginalized in the local community

 Follow up meeting with Coalition Members to share experiences and future activities

Activity 1.3: Providing knowledge and awareness to the CLS coalition’s members to take effective measure for obtaining justice for the victims through community legal services.

Sub: activity:

 Training for the coalition members on available legal rights and remedies /services

 Refresher’s training for the CLS coalition members.

Output 2: The function and accountability of the justice service providers (LGIs) at the local level for improving access to justice for disadvantage and vulnerable groups

Activity 2.1: Developing capacity of justice service providers at the local level (LGIs)

Sub: activity:

 Adoption of training Module (on legal rights, remedies and available services)

 Training on available legal rights, remedies and services for the members of the local government

 Refresher’s Trainings for the local government.

Activity 2.2: Linking with the service providers for provision of legal service delivery to the target groups

Sub: activity:

 Workshop with local level justice service providers on provision of legal service delivery

 Coordination meetings with the service providers like UP members, ULAC members and coalition members for provision of pro-poor and gender friendly legal service delivery

 GO-NGO Collaboration meetings to activate local level justice services for the vulnerable community in the project locations.

 Sharing meeting to activate UZLAC

 Meeting with District Legal Aid Committee (DLAC)

 Meeting with District Nari-O-Shishu Nirjaton Protirodh Committee.

Output 3: Women and vulnerable people have been able to access legal services from CLS centers; village court and LGIs:

Activity 3.1: Establishing 15 CLS centers in different working areas

Sub: activity:

Setting up 15 CLS centers on the basis of clustering where one center will cover 5 unions
Launching meetings of the CLS centers
Orientation meetings for Panel Lawyers (to be hired for CLS centers)
Legal Advice through panel lawyers in CLS centers
Provision of mediation where appropriate at the local level by involving panel lawyers.

Activity 3.2: Support the victims for prompt community legal service

Sub: activity:

 Emergency Medical Support to Victims

 Transport support to Victims

 Refer cases to the legal expert organization e.g BLAST and DLAC

 Regular follow up of cases (Monitoring visit)

Out Put 4: Cross cutting activities

Activity-4.1-6

 Project Launching Program

 Community Need Assessment and Final Evaluation

 Project planning workshop on program, financial management and donor compliance

 Training for Trainers (ToT)-for front line staffs on legal rights and remedies