The Legal Aid Commission intends to start mobile clinics in villages aimed at creating awareness of its functions and facilities. “The project will start in the Batticaloa District where mobile clinics will be conducted in a number of divisional secretariats and expand to other districts,” Legal Aid Commission (LAC) Chairman S.S. Wijeratne said.
Speaking at a conference on Equal Access to Justice Project by Legal Aid Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration, he said the project aims to educate the public on their rights and duties in order to improve their legal literacy.
“Fifty percent of the country’s population cannot afford to pay legal fees. The LAC provides lawyers free of charge, for those with an income less than Rs 8,000 per month, to file a case or to defend an action. But in maintenance, child abuse, bail, victims of crime, and in other exceptional cases, income qualification does not apply,” said Mr. Wijeratne.
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| Seated from left: Nelum Gamage, consultant at the LAC, Justice N. Udalagama coordinator for the Northern Province, S.S.Wijeratne, Chairman of LAC and Justice Hector Yapa, Director General of LAC |
Legal clinics, seminars, meetings, radio and television programmes and newspapers are also made use of by the commission to create awareness among the public.
He said that legal aid in other countries has been given, primarily, to defendants who are unable to afford attorneys, in criminal cases,
“Traditionally, in our country, this service was limited to civil cases. But now, the LAC also appears in criminal cases in the Magistrate Court’s islandwide, for defendants unable to afford legal support,” he said.
LAC Consultant Nelum Gamage said the practice was for clients seeking legal aid or counseling, to visit LAC centres. “With the introduction of mobile clinics, we have been able to reach people in remote areas who do not have access to the LAC’s services. Most people are unaware that their civic problems may have a legal solution either via courts or, by other means such as referrals,” she said.
She said, at present, the road accident rate is high, but most accident victims are unaware of their rights, and thus, their compensation claims get delayed or even overlooked.
She explained that, in the past, women have to face numerous difficulties in maintenance cases, especially with the requirement for a woman seeking maintenance, to furnish a monthly income statement.
“The requirement to furnish a monthly income statement certified by the Grama Niladhari was dispensed with,” she said, adding that, this move helped to restore the dignity of many women.
LAC Director General Justice Hector Yapa said people are ignorant of their rights and duties due to lapses in the education system.
The Commission has 63 Court-based centres islandwide, funded by the UNDP and the Norwegian Refugee Council. The LAC also established centres in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in 2010. Last year, 22,109 cases were handled by these centres.
| “Fifty percent of the country’s population cannot afford to pay legal fees. The LAC provides lawyers free of charge to file a case or to defend an action, for those with an income less than Rs 8,000 per month. But in maintenance, child abuse, bail, victims of crime, and in other exceptional cases, income qualification does not apply.” - LAC Chairman S.S. Wijeratne |
Justice Nissanka Udalagama, supervising the LAC activities in the Northern Province, said, “In the North, most people did not have basic documents such as NICs, birth certificates, marriage certificates, land deeds, identification and other related documents. With the help of the LAC centres, a majority of the Northern people were able to get these legal documents and become aware of their rights.”
The LAC, with a strength of 163 members, including 101 lawyers, handle civil court cases, bail for remandees, rights violation cases, counseling on legal matters, awareness programmes and provide legal assistance via media and legal aid desks.
Contact Details: Legal Aid Commission of
Sri Lanka, High Court Complex, 129, Hultsdorp Street, Colombo 12.
Tel: 011- 2 433 618 / 5 835 329, Tele/Fax 011- 2 395 894, E-mail: legalaid@sltnet.lk, Website: www.law-aid.org |
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