Speakers at a consultation meeting unanimously called for collective efforts of all government and non-government organizations concerned to ensure legal support to the poor and distressed litigants.
They mentioned that various development organizations are implementing need-based projects to provide legal aid services to the marginalized litigants including the ethnic minorities free of cost side by side with the government level National Legal Aid services. So, utmost emphasis should be given on close coordination between works of all organizations.
Rajshahi Unit of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) organized the district level meeting with all associated organizations at its office in Rajshahi yesterday. Community Legal Services (CLS) supported the programme with financial support from UKaid.
BLAST unit coordinator Advocate Abdus Samad, CCBVO Executive Chief Sarwar-E-Kamal, women leader Kolpona Roy, Executive Director of LOFS Shahnaz Parveen, Light House Team Leader Nicholus Biswas and Director of Partner Alima Khatun spoke on the occasion.
The discussants said that all people are equal to the eye of law so emphasis should be given on bringing all the victimised people under the legal aid coverage whatever and whenever they need.
Giving priority to the legal aid related cases is very important in terms of speedy disposal in the greater interest of the distressed and poor justice-seeking litigants.
Stressing the need for vigorous advocacy for cost free legal services they said there should be watchdogs to protect the vulnerable and distressed population to ensure justice for them.
There should be adequate measures of making all the poor and distressed litigants particularly ethnic minority people aware about the existing cost-free legal aid services so that they could derive total benefits of the services.
The speakers mentioned concerted management of common resources can contribute significantly in uplifting the livelihood of extreme poor people including ethnic minorities in the region including the Barind Tract.
They also came out with number of recommendations that may be helpful to establish a congenial management system for use of common resources.
The meeting identified major causes of conflict over using common resources and suggested best practices for conflict management.
