Improving Access to Legal Aid As Part of Building an Integrated Approach to Reduce Vulnerability of Women and Children to Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Goa
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Report on improving Access to Legal Aid at Goa Improving Access to Legal Aid as part of Building an integrated Approach to Reduce Vulnerability of women and Children to Sex tourism and Trafficking in Goa Implemented By V.M. Salgaocar College of Law Miramar, Panaji, Goa Supported by UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office 223, Jor Bagh New Delhi – 110003, India V M Salgaocar College of Law 1 Report on improving Access to Legal Aid at Goa Contents 1. BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 3 2. OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................. 4 3. PROJECT ACTIVITIES .............................................................................................. 4 4. ORIENTATION WORKSHOPS .................................................................................. 4 5. COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS .................................................................................... 9 6. STREET THEATRE SHOWS ................................................................................... 14 7. OBSERVATIONS ...................................................................................................... 15 ANNEXURE I- STREET THEATRE SHOWS ............................................................. 16 ANNEXURE II- PRESS CLIPPINGS ........................................................................... 43 ANNEXURE III- PHOTOGRAPHS............................................................................... 45 V M Salgaocar College of Law 2 Report on improving Access to Legal Aid at Goa 1. Background V.M. Salgaocar College of Law started the “Legal Aid Society, V.M. Salgaocar College of Law” with a strong desire to serve the society dually, by providing free legal assistance to the general public as well as by producing competent and socially sensitive legal professionals. A unique feature of the society is expression of its social concern through its legal aid activity. The underlying ideology is that a legal professional cannot live in ivory towers, but should not only see and sense social realities but also direct his or her activities towards rectifying injustice in society. To execute this theme, the College has established a unique method of permanent legal aid cells. The legal aid cells are housed in Panchayat buildings, schools, churches or temple premises of the rural areas. Out of the 40 permanent legal aid cells in remote rural and poor localities of Goa, 37 are active which includes the Mobile legal aid cell and the Cyber legal aid cell. Mobile legal aid cell goes to different places to educate villagers on various legal and social issues. The cyber legal aid cell provides online legal assistance to the needy. The legal aid cells work towards improving law-seeking behaviour among the local populace. With the association of the Sarpanch and other Panch members, students ensure attendance of the villagers at the Gram Sabhas by visiting every house and making them understand the importance of Grama Sabha. They note the proceedings of the Gram Sabha and share them with the Sarpanches to enable them to follow up on resolutions taken and action items planned. The cells also work in close coordination with the NGOs and participate in activities meant to advance the welfare of the community. The various organizations and institutions with whom the legal aid cell interacts are Panchayat, Schools, Municipalities , Govt departments, NGOs (CRG, Bailancho Saad), Clubs- Junior Chamber, Rotary, Lion’s club, Villagers/ Community, Religious institutions, Orphanages, Legal professionals, Mahila Mandal, Mamledar, State Commission for Women, Directorate of Social Welfare, Rural Development Association (RDA), Police stations Legal aid cells can play a key role in effective prosecution and conviction of crimes against women and children. However, the reach of the cells has not been effective because of lack of awareness about its services among the community. The demand for seeking justice is also low owing to lack of awareness on human, gender and child rights as well as procedure for seeking justice. It has been felt from the work done since 1998 that unless the community is totally involved and becomes a key stakeholder in the interventions, there is lack of desired momentum. Further, rural people, especially women and youth need to be mobilised to come out from their isolation and voice out their problems. Between July and August, 2006, V.M. Salgaocar College of Law implemented an intervention with support from UNIFEM to strengthen the legal aid cells by mobilising greater participation of students and improved linkage with the community. The Project took an integrated approach to combat sex tourism and human trafficking and to reduce vulnerability of women and children to exploitation and violation in Goa. V.M. Salgaocar College of Law targeted using culture based approach for such interventions shifting from its previous approach of door- to door campaign in order to make its reach more effective. With the objective of reaching out to the community and creating a bridge between the community and the legal aid cells, V.M. Salgaocar College of Law assigned the task of community participation and mobilisation in seeking justice to banglanatak dot com. banglanatak dot com specializing in designing and implementing social communication projects using theatre based methodology was assigned the task of V M Salgaocar College of Law 3 Report on improving Access to Legal Aid at Goa designing and conducting workshops with the students of V.M. Salgaocar College of Law to build their capacity in community mobilisation, social communication and skills in theatre based communication and also facilitating the community level workshops. 2. Objectives o Improve demand for justice by creating awareness using street theatre shows on services offered by legal aid cells among vulnerable segments like poor women, youth and children so that they come forward for redress by availing of free legal aid services. o Strengthen legal aid cells for better delivery of justice through improved linkage with Police, legal professionals, Panchayat, support services like Child line, NGO/ Governmental agencies working for reducing vulnerabilities of women and children. o Make the legal aid cells ‘community-participated’ involving people from different sections of society, like village leaders, youth, members of Mahila Mandals, members of self help groups, grass root level workers of Government as well as Non Government sectors and neighbouring community in the area. 3. Project Activities Student Orientation Workshops: 400 students of V.M. Salgaocar College of Law were oriented on the Project, its rationale, social communication using edu-tainment (education through entertainment) and mobilising community participation and behaviour change. Community Workshops: 40 community level workshops were held for linking community and legal aid cells, covering 37 legal aid cells across Goa. Street Theatre Shows: 400 street theatre shows for raising awareness on the services of legal aid cell and crimes against women and children, along with services like 1098, 1091 etc. were staged by the students of V.M. Salgaocar College of Law. 4. Orientation Workshops The students of Honours and the Degree courses of V.M. Salgaocar College of Law run the legal aid cells in various parts of Goa. Each legal aid cell is catered to by a mixed group of students from different academic years. There is one cell- in- charge for each cell and about 8- 10 students per legal aid cell. All the students needed to be oriented on the approach of linking community to the cells for better participation, more demand for justice and thus improved functioning of the cells. 10 orientation workshops were held where the students were made aware of VAW, Paedophilia, 1098, 1091, Women and Child Protection Cells, Children’s Court and existence and service of the various sections of the community like the Anganwadi workers, the Self help groups. Theatre games were used to develop the communication skills of the students preparing them for more effective interaction at the grass root level. Various group discussion and role- playing sessions were conducted through which they explored ideas about better functioning and current drawbacks of their legal aid cells, and expressed their understandings on the issues of crimes against women and children. Other than raising the awareness level, interactive sessions were conducted on how to plan for the workshop, where to hold it, what will be addressed in the workshops and how, whom to call, how, when, duration and the specific objectives of the workshops and also V M Salgaocar College of Law 4 Report on improving Access to Legal Aid at Goa the street theatre shows. The various stakeholders who may be invited to participate in the workshop were identified as Panchayat members, Community leaders, Youth groups, Clubs, AWWs, SHG members, Mahila Mandal, Teachers, Members of faith based organizations. The various issues that the Legal Aid Cell (LAC) members generally deal with are Ration Cards, Social welfare schemes (Senior citizen card, Schemes for BPL people, Health issues), Domestic violence/ Abuse, Dowry harassment, Prostitution, Complaints regarding public works, water, consumer disputes, etc, Land disputes, Distribution of property, Water, Garbage, environmental pollution, Sanitation problems. In dealing with various issues