Staff Reporter :
The social purpose organization Friendship has taken several initiatives to protect the legal rights of the disadvantaged. On Sunday, April 28, on the occasion of National Legal Aid Day, a legal aid fair was held at Rabindra Sarobar in Dhanmondi, the capital, showcasing Friendship’s initiatives. Throughout the day, legal advice and services were provided at Friendship stalls by the organization’s legal experts and paralegal teams.
Barrister Ayesha Taasin Khan, Director of the Inclusive Citizenship Sector of Friendship, stated that Friendship is actively working to protect the rights of disadvantaged people in remote areas. Since the initiation of programs in six chars of Gaibandha in 2012, now 82 chars of the Jamuna-Brahmaputra are covered under its umbrella, with a legal booth managed by a paralegal on each char. Local residents of the chars come to these booths to resolve issues such as child marriage prevention, family disputes, social conflicts, and other legal disputes. Additionally, residents of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts receive a significant portion of legal services from Friendship’s online legal service centers and court-centric legal services. Consequently, members of the district Legal Aid Committees have also benefited from Friendship, leading to collaborative work with the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office and National Legal Aid Services.
At the legal aid fair organized by Friendship, various aspects of legal services for people in remote char areas were showcased, including discussions on women and elderly rights, awareness sessions for adolescents on the consequences of child marriage, and civic responsibilities.
