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Name of the Project: Promoting Peace and Justice Activity – Chattogram
Local Partner: YPSA (Young Power in Social Action)
Funded By: USAID
Implemented By: Democracy International Inc.
Working Area: Chattogram District (Fatikchari, Patiya, Sandwip, Rangunia and Satkania, 5Chowki Court and81 Unions)
Duration of the Project: July 2019 to June 2021.
Background justification of project:
The access to justice in Bangladesh has focused on the inadequacy of judicial, lawyer, paralegal activist, case backlogs, ignorance of community and lack of coordination in legal service providing institutions. Though all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law. Every year countless people are being underprivileged of their constitutional rights to access to justice. Women and Social excluded group has more limited in access to justice. Women and child friendly prosecution system is fully absent in marginalized areas. Women are victimized second times while they seek justice against the crime. In many cases existing litigation system are not consider the traditional customs, norms and culture on excluded groups as dalit, fisher folk and indigenous group. The trafficked survivors are not get shelter and victims migrants are not get access to justice. YPSA observed that there is hundred miles there is no female lawyer, judicial and shelter home for survivors. Chowki Courts are also facing severe problems, lack of logistical support, judges or litigants and not functioning smoothly. Alike, marginalized people have lack of adequate knowledge regarding their rights and they are not informed the available prosecution system of the country. This situation is worst in hard to reach areas mainly the hilly, island areas and Chowki Courts existing areas. In Chattogram there are seven Chowki Courts as (Raojan, Fatikchari, Patiya, Sandwip, Banshkhali, Rangunia and Satkania). These conditions makes far from the access to justice of women and social excluded group. This project has attempted to functional the existing legal aid services institutions, strengthen the case management capacity of judicial and empowering marginalized community through legal knowledge, information, advice and support at ground which might be improved access to justice of marginalized community.
Project Goal:
To create access to justice for the hard to reach and marginalized people through empowering the community and quality legal service in the all Unions of selected Chowki Courts CoveragesUpazila’s of Chattogram district.
Project Objectives:
To increase the level of activation and coordination of legal services providing institutions and necessary reforming on delivery quick access to justice to remedies in Chattogram; To increase community’s awareness and knowledge on available legal services, and pathways for getting access to justice in Chattogram.
Theory of change
This theory of change is that if increased the level of activation and coordination of existing legal services providing institutions at root as well as increased the community knowledge on available legal services then the marginalized and vulnerable groups will easily access to justice.
Results, outputs and outcomes and impact:
The project will strengthen the capacity of existing legal aid services institutions, reform the legal aid framework, increase the legal literacy and knowledge of marginalized community, increase the coordination among legal aid committees (LACs), provide legal support to vulnerable groups as GBV survivors, victim of trafficking, Migrants victims, Disable persons, Ethnic Groups and others risky peoples in Chattogram district.