3rd phase of Village Court Strengthening Project to ensure easy, low-cost justice

 
The third phase of the Bangladesh Village Court Strengthening Project to strengthen village courts to ensure justice implemented with the support of the Department of Local Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union has begun Initiatives have been taken to make the village courts established at the union level more effective and people-friendly to ensure quick, easy and low-cost justice for the grassroots community.

The "Bangladesh Village Court Strengthening Project (Phase III)", implemented with the support of the Department of Local Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union, has already started its activities at the field level.

A detailed discussion was held on the "Importance of Promoting Gender-Sensitive and Inclusive Village Court Services for Rural Women and Marginalized Communities" at a roundtable meeting organized at a hotel in Dhaka on September 21. The speakers there said that in the rural context, women and marginalized communities are often deprived of justice due to social barriers, lack of awareness and limited facilities. In particular, many women hesitate to go to the village court even about their rights, said a press release.

Under the project, it has already been possible to increase legal awareness, ensure the active role of women members of the Union Parishad, and increase the participation of women's leadership and marginalized communities through regular training and information dissemination. As a result, trust in justice among rural people has increased significantly.

According to the information presented at the meeting, about 126,000 cases have been filed in village courts until last year. Out of these, more than 33,000 cases have been filed by women applicants, which indicates positive progress in women's participation in justice. Moreover, the number of appeals in the high court is relatively low as the case process is transparent and easy - this is a clear reflection of the increase in people's trust in village courts.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Momtaz Ahmed, was present as the chief guest at the roundtable meeting. Secretary of the Local Government Division, Md. Rezaul Maksud Zahedi, delivered the opening speech, and Bibash Chakraborty, National Project Coordinator of the 'Bangladesh Village Court Activation - Phase III' project, delivered the project introduction and welcome speech. Shamima Akter Shammi, Gender Analyst of the Bangladesh Village Court Activation - Phase III project, presented the keynote speech at the event.

The summary and recommendations of the discussion were presented by the Additional Secretary of the Local Government Department and the National Project Director of the Bangladesh Village Court Activation-Phase III Project, Suraiya Akhtar Jahan.

In his opening speech, the Secretary of the Local Government Department, Md. Rezaul Maqsud Zahedi, said, "We request the media to promote the services of the third phase of the village court so that everyone knows about it. Journalists can play the biggest role in this promotion at the marginal level." At the end of the meeting, he also said, "This project has been started since 2009 and will continue until 2027. The activities will be more dynamic if women are included in every village court."