Efforts to provide legal aid to the poor taken
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed Saturday said the government takes all out efforts to provide legal aid to the poor, vulnerable and financially incapable people who do not have access to seek remedy from the court, reports UNB.
"The government is sincere about protecting the fundamental rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution," said Shafique while addressing a seminar as the chief guest at a local hotel.
RDRS, a leading foreign-aided NGO in Bangladesh, organised the seminar titled "Effective use of District Legal Aid Fund."
The law minister said the previous Awami League government had enacted the Legal Aid Act 2000 in the light of the Constitutional obligation to provide help to the poor, vulnerable and financially incapable people who do not have access to seek remedies before the court.
But the flaws in the procedural process impede securing legal aid in favour of the targeted people, said the law minister. As a result the fund allocated annually for the purpose remains unutilised..
The law minister called upon the NGOs who provide legal aid to the poor, to make a countrywide campaign in favour of the government efforts in this regard.
Presided over by chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the seminar was addressed, among others, by advisers to the past caretaker government Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Chowdhury, executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) Salma Ali, director of National Legal Aid Services Organisation Syed Aminul Islam, director of Bangladesh Legal Reform Project Ian Morrison and Editor-in-Chief of Boishakhi Television Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul. Advocate Saidur Rahman presented the keynote paper.
"The government is sincere about protecting the fundamental rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution," said Shafique while addressing a seminar as the chief guest at a local hotel.
RDRS, a leading foreign-aided NGO in Bangladesh, organised the seminar titled "Effective use of District Legal Aid Fund."
The law minister said the previous Awami League government had enacted the Legal Aid Act 2000 in the light of the Constitutional obligation to provide help to the poor, vulnerable and financially incapable people who do not have access to seek remedies before the court.
But the flaws in the procedural process impede securing legal aid in favour of the targeted people, said the law minister. As a result the fund allocated annually for the purpose remains unutilised..
The law minister called upon the NGOs who provide legal aid to the poor, to make a countrywide campaign in favour of the government efforts in this regard.
Presided over by chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the seminar was addressed, among others, by advisers to the past caretaker government Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Chowdhury, executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) Salma Ali, director of National Legal Aid Services Organisation Syed Aminul Islam, director of Bangladesh Legal Reform Project Ian Morrison and Editor-in-Chief of Boishakhi Television Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul. Advocate Saidur Rahman presented the keynote paper.