Category: Legal aid

A two-year struggle against the use of illegal detention in the DR Congo

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Kinshasa, 8 April 2016 – For the last two years, with the support of the Belgian Development Cooperation, Avocats Sans Frontières has been working actively with the Bar Associations of the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to combat the abusive and sometimes even illegal use of preventive detention in the country. The key aspects of this project were the development of the capacity of individuals held in detention to understand and to take action, the legal representation of detainees by specifically trained lawyers and the highlighting of the catastrophic conditions of detention, and the causes underlying the very widespread use of preventive detention.

Preventive detention is a measure aimed at depriving a person of their liberty while they are awaiting trial. It should only ever be considered as an exceptional measure, and strictly in accordance with the law, since the person detained under these conditions is still presumed innocent.

In the DR Congo, as in many countries, the reality is different. In fact, the vast majority of the prison population is made up of these detainees awaiting trial (between 75% and 82% according to the available figures) and who are often imprisoned illegally, given the lack of compliance with national laws and international standards establishing the conditions under which a person may be arrested and detained.

To date, within the framework of the Na Bosembo Tokokani project, 90 Congolese lawyers have raised awareness for 1,500 people in relation to their rights, have received some 1,500 detainees during legal consultations and have filed more than 2,000 petitions before competent judges in order to review the legality of the detention. When the detention was shown to be illegal or unjustified, the lawyers requested the release of their clients.

These activities, which were coordinated by the Bar Associations of Kinshasa-Matete, Kinshasa-Gombe, Matadi and Mbandaka, have offered legal aid services to the specific category of vulnerable people consisting of detainees awaiting trial. They have also helped to identify, understand and attempt to correct the serious shortcomings in the mechanisms for detention in the DR Congo. Within this context, two studies have been conducted in the province of Kongo Central, providing the opportunity to question those Congolese involved with detention about their experiences, and also to meet a large number of inmates held in Matadi prison. This research highlighted how the measure of detention as envisaged strictly in accordance with the law is frequently hijacked for the benefit of vested pecuniary interests.

The findings derived from activities of information, legal advice and legal representation for detainees, but also from the research and from the meetings with those involved in detention, mean that the 8 and 9 April 2016 will feature three important meetings in Kinshasa: a round-table discussion bringing together stakeholders from the prison, legal and administrative systems in relation to detention, a conference on legal practices and the alternatives to detention to which are invited all interested people and, finally, a photography exhibition by Rosalie Colfs which will illustrate testimonials from people who relate their stories about detention.

* Download the study Pour quoi détenir? Réalités de la détention des personnes en RD Congo (PDF in French)
* Download the study Expériences de la détention dans la prison centrale de Matadi (PDF in French)

Coverpicture © Rosalie Colfs for ASF

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Access to justice in Chad: civil society is mobilising itself

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N’Djamena, 7 December 2015  – Despite justice reforms undertaken in recent years, the population of Chad still encounters numerous obstacles when trying to obtain access to justice. Given this situation, civil society organisations (CSOs) are taking action and providing legal advice and assistance. Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) is supporting three of these CSOs in their efforts to protect human rights.

The population of Chad knows very little about its rights, especially outside of towns. Customary rules are still very influential. There are very few lawyers (174 lawyers for a population of 11 million inhabitants). These are almost all based in the capital N’Djamena, so the majority of Chadians are not able to make use of their expertise to assert their rights.

Given this situation, CSOs have been taking action for a number of years now. “We do the work of the public services that are almost non-existent: we make citizens more aware of their rights and offer them free legal advice, legal assistance and mediation services”, explains Marthe Dorkagoum. This magistrate is a member of the executive office and charged with public relations for the AFJT (l’Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad – Association of Women Lawyers in Chad), one of three CSO partners in the ASF project “Improving access to justice for persons in vulnerable situations in Chad”.

The needs are enormous. “Our lawyers and paralegals take care of the disenfranchised, especially women who do not know their rights in the area of inheritance or who are subject to serious domestic violence”, shares Oyal Ngarassal, who presides over another CSO partner , the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). “It comes to a point where these people have had enough of suffering and take the step of coming to see us so they can defend themselves and assert their rights.”

Within the framework of the project, ASF gives technical support to the CSOs, in particular via training workshops and exchanges. Recently, the three partner organisations participated in a workshop dedicated to communication techniques. “How do you explain to the husbands that we are not there to turn their wives against them, but to make sure that their basic rights are being respected?” Yes, it is crucial to be able to communicate well in our line of work”, says Oyal Ngarassal. This is confirmed by Marthe Dorkagoum: “Not only the people, but also the local authorities need to have a better understanding of what it is that we do.”

The Vice President of the APLFT (Association pour la Promotion des Libertés Fondamentales au Tchad – Association for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms in Chad), Ali Mbodou, acknowledges the value of these workshops. “For us, it’s a plus. It’s a sharing of experiences.”

Apart from this technical support, ASF provides financial support that will enable the CSOs to provide legal advice and judicial assistance services (AJJ) to the population – in particular to women, children and persons in detention.

The AFJT,  the APLFT and the PILC carry out complementary activities and cover different geographical areas. Together, they make up more than 500 lawyers and paralegals. Within the framework of the ASF project 30,000 people have already been made aware of their rights, 2,000 people have received legal advice and 200 people have benefited from the help of a lawyer.

The ASF project “Improving access to justice for persons in vulnerable situations in Chad”, continues until May 2016, with financial help from the European Union.

Pictures: Three civil society organisations in Chad are mobilising to guarantee that the population receives legal aid services. Cover picture (left to right): Oyal Ngarassal from the Public Interest Law Center, Ali Mbodou from l’Association pour la Promotion des Libertés Fondamentales au Tchad (Promotion of the Fundamental Freedoms in Chad) and Marthe Dorkagoum from l’Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad (Women Lawyers’ Association of Chad). N’Djamena, November 2015 © ASF/G. Van Moortel

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The state of justice in the Central African Republic

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Bangui, 27/08/2015 – ASF (Avocats Sans Frontières) has recently launched support activities to help facilitate better access to justice in the Central African Republic. In the wake of successive politico-military crises, the country’s judicial institutions need to be rebuilt. In collaboration with legal stakeholders, the Bar association and civil society, ASF’s actions aim to contribute to improving access to justice for vulnerable people.

In 2012-2013, the Central African Republic (CAR) experienced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, leading to the deaths of thousands of people and displacing whole populations. Today, relative calm has descended on this country and its 4.6 million inhabitants, which has been rocked by politico-military crises since its independence in 1960.

The need for justice is great. The 120 lawyers who make up the Bar are all gathered in the capital Bangui, working in difficult conditions. Civil society organisations (CSO) remain very weak.

“The justice system in the Central African Republic is weak, slow and costly. It is a two-speed justice: one speed for the wealthy and one for the poor”, stated Arsène Sende, Inspector General for Justice.

The justice sector has a severe lack of funds, with a budget representing only 0.15% of the overall public budget. This has resulted in numerous consequences, including widespread impunity and corruption. Justice no longer fulfils its role to protect citizens and guarantee their rights, and is widely mistrusted by the population.

This analysis was shared during the first workshop for the official launch of ASF’s activities in the CAR in July in Bangui. Representatives from judicial institutions (the Ministries for Justice and Planning, the Inspectorate General for Justice, the Judicial Council, the Bar) and international donors were present.

The Minister for Justice’s Cabinet celebrated the arrival of ASF at a time when “the Constitutional Charter for transition prioritises access to justice for all”. According to its Director, the Central African judicial system will be able to “benefit from ASF’s expertise regarding (access to) justice in the countries of the Great Lakes sub-region”.

The stakes are high as the task is to (re)build the rule of law. “The justice system can expedite or hinder a country’s development through its organisation and operation, and it is now up to the people of the Central African Republic to choose what they want”, believes Mr Sende, Inspector General for Justice.

“Our project is developing against a backdrop of real needs and expectations regarding access to justice, in particular for vulnerable people”, explains Boubacar Diabira, head of the ASF mission in Bangui.

The ASF team will implement the following activities: disseminating the law to the population and stakeholders in the justice system, supporting civil society organisations to help them relaunch legal aid services and support for coordinating legal aid, supporting mobile courts with birth registration and capacity-building for lawyers and civil society organisations.

Mainly financed by the European Union (budget: EUR 352,000), the project will last for 24 months.

 Cover picture:  ©ASF

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ASF partnerships: the cornerstone of sustainable change

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Brussels/Bujumbura, 1 July 2015 – Against the backdrop of an extremely serious political crisis, ASF and its partners continue working to ensure access to justice for all in Burundi. ASF and the bar association at Bujumbura Court of Appeal have recently signed an agreement renewing and shaping their partnership up to 2021. The signing of this agreement symbolises the spirit of complementarity underlying the relationship between ASF and its partners in the countries where it is active.

The President’s announcement that he intends to stand in the presidential elections on 15 July has thrown Burundi into a deep political crisis during the last few weeks. However, this exceptional situation does not signal an end to the population’s need for access to justice – far from it.

ASF and the bar association at Bujumbura Court of Appeal have just signed an agreement creating the framework for a special partnership aimed at improving access to justice for all in Burundi.

“Our partnership is based on a spirit of independence from governments and political groups, together with mutual respect for the diversity of cultures, values, beliefs and opinions“, explains Céline Lemmel, ASF Head of Mission in Burundi.

This agreement formalises more than ten years’ cooperation in providing services to ensure better access to justice. “It’s much more than a paper agreement. Specifically, ASF and the bar association set up free legal consultation and judicial assistance services for those who are particularly vulnerable in Burundi“, according to the Head of Mission. In 2014-2015, more than 7,700 people were able to receive assistance enabling them to exercise their rights.

For Mr Salvator Kiyuku, president of the bar association at Bujumbura Court of Appeal, this partnership is above all a matter of credibility: “ASF has extensive international expertise in the area of training and legal assistance. So, they are a reliable partner and sharing this experience saves us a lot of time“.

Despite the extremely tense situation in Bujumbura in the run-up to elections, in some of the country’s provinces both partners are pressing ahead with their efforts to uphold the rights of all those seeking justice.

In Burundi, as in other countries, ASF and its different partners – bar associations, civil society organisations and public institutions – work together on an equal footing to achieve specific goals.

“We see the partnership as a relationship of trust and complementarity. ASF complements our skills, enabling us to fulfil our mission to help people seeking justice“, confirms Mr Kiyuku.

For the 2014-2015 period, ASF has ongoing partnerships with 30 local organisations in twelve countries where it is active. All of these agreements are based on the principle of mutual support between ASF and its partners – helping to bring about sustainable change in order to achieve accessible, effective and efficient justice.

Picture: ASF and the bar association at Bujumbura Court of Appeal : a sustainable partnership. © ASF 2015

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No legal existence equals no rights for Congolese citizens

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Lubero, DR Congo, 15 May 2015 – Registration of births – and marriages – is vital for the establishment of citizens’ rights. This is the message that was shared by Avocats Sans Frontières and its partners with more than 6,000 people living in Lubero, North Kivu.

Congolese citizens regularly experience serious violations of their fundamental rights. “Children are particularly vulnerable”, explains Jules Rhuhunemungu, ASF Programme Coordinator. “Many births are not registered within the period specified by law (90 days). So, officially, these children do not exist and are not entitled to a nationality, basic healthcare, an education, to inherit from their parents and so on”. Also, women whose marriages are not registered cannot inherit from their husbands.

ASF and its partners* recently organised a campaign to raise public awareness of these issues in Lubero, North Kivu. More than 6,000 people, mostly women, were informed of their rights and were able to participate in 400 free legal consultations provided by lawyers from the Goma bar association, resulting in 57 babies under 3 months old being issued with birth certificates. The campaign culminated in a session of the Lubero magistrate’s court, at which several families filed requests to regularise the situation of 50 children whose births were not registered within the 90-day period. “This familiarised people with the procedure to be followed if children, or even teenagers and young adults, have not been registered within the specified period”, reports Jules Rhuhunemungu with satisfaction.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen lawyers offering consultations without asking for money!”, laughed one of the mothers attending. “The awareness-raising campaign was amazing because it let people know they could be given birth certificates for their children without paying a penny”, her neighbour added. This kind of activity – allowing people access to a lawyer and to obtain information about their rights – is in high demand. Another session is planned in Masisi later this month.

The local people weren’t the only ones to benefit from the campaign: Lubero register office was also given a new lease of life. A brand new register, sent to Lubero in 2014 by the Department of the Interior, was used for the first time. The registrar had not been using it, even though children were being born every day.

* ASF’s partners in this awareness-raising campaign around the need to register births and marriages are: North Kivu Provincial Department of the Interior, the Goma bar association and the Congolese organisation SODPAD.
Part of the “Uhaki Safi” (“fair justice” in Swahili) programme, supported by the European Union and contributions from Belgium and Sweden.
Pictures © ASF Access to Justice team in Goma

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Chad: civil society is rallying together for better access to justice

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N’Djamena (Chad), 12 November 2014 – The population of Chad still faces numerous obstacles when trying to obtain access to justice. Given this situation, organisations of civil society are taking action: they are making citizens more aware of their rights, offering them free legal advice, judicial assistance or mediation services. Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) is supporting three of these organisations in their efforts to protect human rights.

Despite the reforms undertaken in recent years at a judicial and legislative level, accessing justice remains difficult for many citizens of Chad, especially women, children, persons in detention and those living in rural regions. Customary norms are still very influential and there are very few lawyers in the country. In fact, Chad only has around one hundred lawyers for a population of more than 12 million, with the vast majority working in the capital.

“Luckily the population can count on the support of organisations of civil society (OSCs) committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. They offer legal advice and judicial assistance services, ranging from providing information to assistance before the courts,” explains Ben Kabagambe, ASF’s Programme Coordinator in Chad. ASF has been providing technical and financial support to three of these organisations for some months: the AFJT (Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad/Women Lawyers’ Association of Chad), the APLFT (Association pour la Promotion des Libertés Fondamentales au Tchad/Association for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms in Chad), and the PILC (Public Interest Law Center).

This support will make it possible to strengthen services to the population as well as allowing the OSCs to better formulate, implement and evaluate their projects and to coordinate between themselves. Delphine Djiraibé, Senior lawyer at the PILC says, “This partnership will help us to perform two actions which are especially important to us: to establish a drop-in centre and to undertake a study on how to bring people to participate in their judicial procedure.”

La clinique juridique de Moissala (Sud du Tchad) © ASF
The Moissala legal clinic (southern Chad)

“The planned actions will contribute to reforming justice, to promoting good governance and the state of law in Chad. And I’m pleased to note that this project will cover a large part of Chadian territory“, confirms Pierre Houpikian, Consultant and Head of the Policy Department of the EU Delegation to Chad, at the project launch ceremony in N’Djamena last month.

Mahamat Abderaman, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice, greeted ASF and its partners at this event: “This joint launch workshop demonstrates your willingness to work hand-in-hand, to better share your knowledge, your successes and your challenges.”

For Richard Allatan, project coordinator for the APLFT, the project will make it possible “to restore the population’s confidence in justice and to strengthen collaboration between authorities and members of the judicial system“.

Lasting two years, the ASF project “Improving access to justice for persons in vulnerable situations in Chad” is financed by the European Union.

Cover photo: The AFJT is one of the three organisations benefiting from ASF’s support. Second from right: Ben Kabagambe, ASF Programme Coordinator in Chad © ASF.

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Nepalese women’s quest to claim rights

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Nepal, 23 April 2014 – In Nepal, when a man abandons his wife and family it is common for the woman to be left in the lurch as destitutes. Women are systematically denied their rights under the law especially property rights, inheritance and alimony. Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF), in partnership with local bar associations, plays a crucial role in not only empowering women’s awareness of the law to claim their rights but also accompanying them through the legal processes.  

In the Nepalese society, when a woman gets married, she is expected to  renounce her own family and adopt her husband’s family. She is very dependent on this new family who becomes her sole source of livelihood, social security and social status.

20140422_webstory_nepal
Malati Rajbanshi Lama – with daughter Jasmin Lama – brings her case to a legal aid clinic supported by ASF© @ASF – N. de Oliveira

Malati Rajbanshi Lama (see photo) lives in a remote village, some 100 km from the capital city of Katmandu. “After my husband left me, I never received any financial support from him either for me or for my children. My in-laws refuse to recognize my marriage and deny access to my house”, she recounts. “My children used to go to school but now they cannot do so as education is very expensive”.

With the intervention of a local bar unit supported by ASF, Malati became aware about her rights and legal procedures. In the nearest legal aid clinic, she received legal counseling and felt empowered to file a case in the local court.

Malati now lives in a government safe house with her three children and gets daily wages just enough to support her family. Her case has been filled for partition of property, alimony and marital status recognition which, in Nepal, is important for registration and citizenship rights for Malati and her children. She now awaits the court decision which should improve her living conditions: “We expect a decision from the Court in the next five months. It is long but my lawyers are positive”.

ASF’s legal awareness activities such as mobile clinics to village development communities and radio sensitisation programs aim at providing information about the law and the legal services available for people in vulnerable situations, like Malati.

Other ASF objectives include increasing the demand for legal services offered by the Districts Bar Units, strengthening the capacities of Bar Units and individual lawyers to assisting vulnerable and marginalized people.

Over one million people have been reached through legal awareness program like radio programs, school programs and mobile clinics, in five districts in the country. 1,277 people directly benefited from legal advice, legal assistance and, where applicable, representation in court.

ASF has worked in close partnership with the Nepal Bar Association and two other organisations (*). The project is financed by the Belgian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

(*) The PPR (Forum for Protection of People’s Right) and the LACC (Legal Aid & Consultancy Center)

Cover picture: Malati Rajbanshi Lama © ASF – N. de Oliveira

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For a more accessible justice system in eastern Congo

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Goma, 19 March 2014 – The vulnerable population in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is benefiting from free legal advice thanks to a new partnership between the bar associations in the region and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF). In practice, this means that more life is injected into the free legal aid services organised by the bar association, helping to make the justice system more attainable for people seeking justice, and to assist in bringing about a return to lasting peace.

Hélène Trachez of ASF and the President of the Bar Association of Kisangani work jointly for more legal aid @ ASF - M. Causin
Hélène Trachez of ASF and the President of the Bar Association of Kisangani work jointly for more legal aid @ ASF – M. Causin

Managed by the bar association, the Free Consultations Office (Bureau de Consultations Gratuites, BCG) is tasked with providing free legal aid services to vulnerable people seeking justice, such as women, minors or people in pre-trial detention.

According to Congolese legislation, the bar associations in each province must organise a BCG. However, before ASF became involved, the east of the country was particularly deprived: there was only one single operational BCG in the province of South Kivu, serving an estimated population of four million inhabitants, and no service was available in North Kivu nor in the Ituri district. Even when they are operational, the BCGs are faced with enormous difficulties when it comes to organising this aid, due to the lack of resources coming from the Congolese state.

Since October 2013, this situation has been on the road to change thanks to the technical and financial support provided by ASF to the BCGs in the cities of Bukavu, Goma and Bunia, in connection with the support programme for strengthening the justice system in the east of the DRC, entitled “Uhaki Safi”.  “Our support means we can ensure better access to justice for the Congolese population as a whole, and in particular for people living in vulnerable situations, both in towns and in the most isolated villages”, explains Hélène Trachez, Head of the ASF Mission in Goma.

Thus, in the BCGs supported by ASF, everyone can meet with a lawyer who will listen to them, explain the law and dispense high-quality legal advice. “Our teams organise training sessions for lawyers in order to improve their ability to listen and advise, but also their use of techniques such as mediation. Thanks to this technique, conflicts in daily life, such as disputes over land or minor civil disputes, can be settled without having to take the case to court”, adds Ms Trachez.

For the members of the different bar associations receiving support, the assistance given to the BCGs is very important. “The establishment of a BCG in a large city in Ituri will facilitate access to justice and free legal support for a vulnerable population, impoverished by years of conflict”, the President of the Bar of Kisangani, François Alauwa, notes with satisfaction. “Thanks to this collaboration, there will also be mobile legal clinics in rural areas, and advice and aid will be given in the three prisons in the district.”

The programme “Uhaki Safi”, which means “fair justice” in Swahili, is being implemented with the support of the European Union and contributions from Belgium and Sweden. It supports BCGs in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and the Ituri district in the Eastern Province, areas devastated by violence and insecurity for many years. To date, 1,010 people have benefited from free legal advice thanks to this project.

Cover pricture:At Free Consultations Offices, lawyers are often assisting women faced with conflicts in daily life, Bukavu © ASF – G. Van Moortel

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What’s the point of human rights if there is no access to remedy?

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Brussels, 9 December 2013 – On the occasion of Human Rights Day on 10 December, Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) notes that rights are not effective if so many people in vulnerable situations cannot access remedy for human rights violations. This is especially the case  in countries emerging from conflict or  in transition, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Tunisia. Faced with a situation where rights are not guaranteed, ASF is calling on governments to ensure that justice is accessible for everyone.

Protecting  human rights involved overcoming the many obstacles standing between individuals and justice. For people living in poverty  or victims of international crimes, access to justice to remedy the human rights violations they face remains extremely difficult, and in some cases, even impossible.

One major challenge is to improve knowledge amongst populations about their rights and the mechanisms in place to claim them. This is the case, for example, for many women in Nepal or Burundi, who do not know that they can seek justice for discriminatory inheritance practices or child-support payments. Or for imprisoned individuals in Uganda, where one person in three is detained well beyond the period prescribed by law.

The existence of accessible legal aid mechanisms is another condition that has to be met for human rights to be guaranteed. Yet in fragile countries or countries in a post-conflict situation, legal services are too often out of reach for most people seeking justice to claim their human rights. In Chad, there are only 90 lawyers for a population the size of Belgium (11 million). The courts are often located several days’ walk away, and the judicial system suffers from financial, administrative and political pressures.

When justice is out of reach for groups of populations living in a situation of extreme poverty, so is their ability to realise their human rights. Francesca Boniotti, Executive Director of ASF, notes that “this creates a double injustice: it’s not just that the poorest people don’t have access to justice, but being deprived of their fundamental rights aggravates their situation.” This is why the fight against poverty has to include improving access to justice. “When people have access to courts and other legal services, they can improve their living conditions by realising their human rights and having greater control over their lives”, notes Boniotti.

Yet in most countries where the rule of law is fragile, authorities struggle to establish and maintain a functioning justice system. Too often, it is civil society – bar associations and lawyers, local and international organisations – that assumes this responsibility alone. Faced with this situation, ASF is calling on governments to assume their responsibilities and to ensure that justice is accessible for all: donor countries to ensure that access to justice plays an integral part of their cooperation strategies, and developing countries, who must understand the central role of justice for human development.

The existence of sustainable mechanisms providing justice is a fundamental condition for the establishment of any democratic state and for respecting human rights. “We need to bring justice closer to the population”, affirms Boniotti. “The law and government institutions will be respected if the state is not perceived as a factor of oppression, but instead protects all its inhabitants, including those most marginalised. Access to justice must therefore be a priority on government agendas”, she concludes. Continue reading “What’s the point of human rights if there is no access to remedy?”

Law Talk Aired Out

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Kathmandu, 27 November 2013 – How does one ensure that people know their rights when a large part of the population is illiterate, poor and lives in remote rural areas? In Nepal, community radio is a perfect medium to raise legal awareness and disseminate information. ASF has been broadcasting radio jingles and talk shows on subjects such as gender and reproductive rights, child rights, and anti-discrimination laws, prompting people to share their stories and participate in legal discussion on the air.

The numerous laws enacted in Nepal to address social and economic exclusion and discrimination of marginalised groups have not yet succeeded in changing the realities on the ground. With 30% of the population unable to read or write, and living in extreme poverty, and four people out of five living in remote rural areas, most people are unable to participate in the political transformation of the country, nor do they have access to justice mechanisms.

Advocate Hari Prasad Adhikari hosts a talk program twice a month on Radio Jockey © ASF.
Advocate Hari Prasad Adhikari hosts a talk program twice a month on Radio Jockey © ASF.

In close cooperation with the Nepal Bar Association and five District Bar units*, ASF has been broadcasting radio jingles and talk shows to raise legal awareness and disseminate information to the population. “Community radio is the most trusted communication agent”, explains Biswo Jit Khadka, ASF’s National Program Officer. “We use it to inform people about the legal aid centres and services available in the districts, but they can also call us about their personal situation. We estimate that about 30,000 people listen to our programme in each district”. Since July 2011, out of the 1277 cases registered in the ASF-Nepal Bar Association district legal aid centres, 300 sought legal services as a result of the radio sensitisation programmes.

Advocate Hari Prasad Adhikari (picture), a District Legal Aid Lawyer from Kaski, hosts a talk programme twice a month on Radio Jockey: “The program is an effective platform for lawyers, justice actors and the public to discuss opportunities and constraints in accessing justice. We answer telephone calls, mostly from victims from villages to discuss their daily sufferings such as domestic violence, caste-based discrimination, fundamental rights, and other rights violations. Their stories are moving and we are always eager to find solutions using all our resources. When discussing the legal problems of one radio guest from a remote village, we also help the other listerners facing the similar issues.”

Nepalese laws are at times ambiguous and difficult to understand for people unfamiliar with legal jargon. “Community radio is an important tool to engage the population in discussions on law and development that affects their lives and that of their community”, concludes Biswo Jit Khadka.

* in Kanchanpur, Kaski, Makawanpur, Morang, and Rupandehi

ASF’s projects in Nepal are financed with the support of the Belgian and British Governments.

Cover picture: Villagers from the Kaski District (Central Nepal) listen to ASF’s radio programme © ASF.

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