JUSTICE UNVEILED: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Main goal:
The project goal for “Justice Unveiled: Empowering Communities through Legal Assistance” is to enhance access to justice and legal empowerment within marginalized communities, ensuring that individuals have the resources, knowledge, and support necessary to exercise their rights, address grievances, and build a more equitable and just society.
Objective 1:
To establish legal aid clinic, providing direct assistance to community members in navigating legal processes, addressing issues such as accused blasphemy charges, domestic violence, and forced or early marriages. The project aims to empower individuals specially persecuted Christian community members with legal knowledge, foster community resilience, and create a sustainable framework for ongoing legal support within these communities.
Objective 2:
Breaking the cycle of discrimination, fostering a society where justice prevails, and minority communities are treated equitably.
Major Activities:
1. Establishment of legal Aid desk:
A legal aid desk will be established in HFO where the qualified lawyer and project officer will discuss the case, go in the target areas and compile a fact-finding report after meeting the family members of the victim, local community and police station. A criterion for case eligibility will be discussed in order to provide social and legal aid to the victims of blasphemy charges and forced conversion and marriages.
2. Establishment of safe house/ shelter home:
HFO will establish a safe house or shelter home to have a safe and secure space for the victims and their families. The safe house will be established to ensure the safety of the victims as in the most of cases, many people accused of blasphemy have been murdered before their trials were over and renowned figures who opposed the blasphemy law have been assassinated. We have witnessed many instances of the mob violence and lynching the accused before any ratifying the facts from the authorities as recently in Faisalabad, Jaranwala an angry mob burnt down the whole Christian locality just on the basis of a false accusation. For this reason, HFO believes that a safe space is important where the victim families can stay in peace for legal proceedings and follow ups. HFO will establish a secure shelter home for the victims of blasphemy charges, for the young girls who are victims of forced conversion and forced marriages.
3. Need Assessment of the victims:
After compiling the fact-finding report and considering the case to be eligible for the legal aid, project team will conduct a comprehensive need assessment to determine the immediate need for the victim and its family like providing shelter, provision of safe place for the victim, psycho-social support or trauma handling and necessary documentation etc. the team will present its report to the Program Manager for the resource allocation.
4. Prison Visits and documentation:
The team of legal aid desk will visit the prison to check on the well-being of the victim and make the document ready for the legal proceedings. The team will provide counselling or psychosocial support to the victim and stay connected with the prison department.
5. Trial monitoring in the court:
The team will monitor the trial in the court to ensure the transparency of proceedings, improving respect for defendants’ fair trial rights, and promoting the rule of law. The team will also maintain the record of court hearings by observing and recording court procedures with professionalism and confidentiality.
6. Maintaining data and reporting for Advocacy:
The legal aid team at HFO will maintain the database of each case with necessary documents and legal proceedings record. A separate progress report will be generated for each case development and will be shared with the donors. HFO will assume responsibility for the advocacy for the fair trail of the victim by influencing media and knowledge sharing.
Results:
Result 1: Increased Legal support to the victims of faith-based persecution.
Result 2: Identification and rectification of any violations of the individual’s legal rights, ensuring they receive due process and a fair defence.
Project Progress So Far:
So far, HFO has provided legal assistance and social support to 14 blasphemy and forced marriages victims with 7 acquittals from the death sentence and life imprisonment. In the said project, HFO has been doing a remarkable success in enhancing access to justice and legal empowerment within marginalized communities.
