IMPROVING ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE IN NEPAL :ASF WORK , KEY RESULTS AND ISSUES

31 MAY 2012

Purpose of this presentation

• To give information about ASF work in Nepal and results achieved so far

• To share issues that need further consideration

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ASF working districts and partners

Districts: • Morang• Makawanpur• Kaski• Rupandehi• Kanchanpur

Partners:• NEBA and its District

units• PPR• LACC and• other NGOs for

specific issues (ICC, training)

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Summary of ASF work

Key working areas

• Legal awareness• Capacity building of

lawyers• Legal aid for most

vulnerable• Lobbying and advocacy

Modalities

• ASF provides technical assistance

• All services are directly provided by the BAR units/individual lawyers on a pro-bono basis (low cost and sustainable model)

• One part time legal aid coordinator in districts

• One full time legal aid coordinator in central BAR

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Main activities• Capacity building of lawyers (training and individual coaching)• Technical assistance to the Bar association (legal aid

guidelines, monitoring instrument, database)• Legal awareness (Radio, school, vehicle painting)• Fixed Legal aid clinic • Mobile legal aid clinic• Prison Monitoring• Financial support to legal aid (transportation, medical, court

expenses) • District level co-ordination meetings• Central level lobbying and advocacy workshops

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Methodology used for compiling data

1. Consultation sheet

a. Basic information b. Legal consultationc. Assessment

2. Maintenance of Register book3. Follow-up sheet4. Online database

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Key Achievements• More than 30 600 persons informed about their rights and how to

access legal aid through radio programs, school awareness, local announcements and mobile clinics.

• 378 people received legal advice and assistance on a pro bono basis between July 2011 and March 2012. 48% are women, 52% are members of deprived communities (Dalit, Madeshi, Janajati), 35% are illiterate.

• 81 cases are presented before courts on a pro bono basis (47% women)

• 29 cases have been decided, 22 decision are in favor of our Clients• Nature of cases ( Most consulted Land & property 40%, Family

disputes 16%)• 75 lawyers have increased there knowledge of legal English

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Key Issues

• Ownership of the Programme by the Bar• Activating the Bar Sub-Committee on Legal Aid • Interest and added value of ASF’s model• Coordination among the legal aid actors• Quality control of service provided by district bar• Pro bono policy• Capacity building of partner NGOs• Current political development and policy reform• Need for long term support (ASF needs to invest in a 5-10 year approach)

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Sustainability • This project can make a significant contribution to the

establishment of sustainable legal aid in Nepal • First, the Bar Association has the capacity to mobilize

lawyers to fulfill their social responsibility• Second, the Bar has both the legitimacy to provide these

services and the authority to ensure their quality• Third, legal aid by the bar allows a broader range of

individuals to benefit from free legal aid in an inclusive/ non-discriminative way

• Fourth, Low operation cost

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Thank You. Questions/Comments

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