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Program Update
Juvenile Justice
In 2006-2007 the Project will provide specialized training to legal aid panel lawyers and others on special skills for lawyers dealing with children.
Legal Aid
By the end of 2007 the Project will complete the model office manual for the NLAO, which contains processes, procedures and precedents for the efficient and effective running of a DLAC office. The content of the manual is being developed by the project pilot sites. At the end of the project, a national conference is planned to showcase the achievements of the pilot sites.
ADR
The Project has commissioned a national study of ADR and mediation services, intended to provide recommendations for further development of ADR in Bangladesh. A National consultation to discuss the findings and recommendations is planned for the month of October. The Project has also run ADR awareness workshops in the Project’s pilot districts. |
The Bangladesh Legal Reform Project (Part B) (BLRP – Part B is half of a two-part five year project to increase legal and judicial capacity. The goal of Part B is to enhance access to justice by the poor and
disadvantaged and to make advancements towards protection of individual rights. The purpose is to strengthen the capacity of the government of Bangladesh and civil society organizations to provide the disadvantaged with improved access to justice and to protect individual rights.
Our partner in Bangladesh is the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, with input from other governmental stakeholders.
The expected outcomes for the BLRP include:
- Increased access to justice for the poor, in particular women and children
- Enhanced quality of justice for juvenile offenders
- Improved administration of justice, which allows protection of individual rights.
The project has three distinct and mutually supportive components:
Juvenile Justice
This initiative will improve the protection of children's rights within the justice system of Bangladesh. The project will strengthen probation services, improve protection for juvenile rights by implementing new court procedures and develop alternative sanctions, as well as develop specific legal aid criteria for juveniles. Law reform is an important element of the project and will include reform of the Children Act 1974 to be in conformity with international norms and more reflective of Bangladesh's current needs and circumstances.
Legal Aid
The legal aid component of the project is intended to increase access to justice for the poor in Bangladesh and, in particular, women and children. The project will work to render the government-sponsored legal aid system more effective and to determine and develop other locally appropriate forms of legal aid. Research will also be undertaken with the MOL to identify the needs and recommend changes to the provision of legal aid. The Project will include training and public legal education.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
This complementary initiative will integrate alternative dispute resolution mechanisms into the juvenile justice and legal aid project components. Negotiation and mediation training modules will be developed for a broad range of participants in the justice system, and in particular lawyers and NGO advocates.
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