![]() What are the key elements of a successful street law programme?Ī successful street law programme should impart three key things – increased knowledge, increased skills and an enhanced set of values. What I value most about street law is that it allows me to interact with people and understand the perspectives of those whom I would have not met otherwise. Once, during a street law session on child rights in a slum in Dhaka, I sensed that while the audience agreed with us that child labour is harmful for children and should not be encouraged, what was prescribed by institutions did not match their social reality and we had to engage with that premise. But dowry is rooted in patriarchy, so instead of just stating the law you have to try to understand the rationale behind legislation, explain that it does not betray religion to stop engaging in such practices, and convince them after listening to their context. ![]() Conventional methods tell communities that if you accept dowry you will get arrested under the law. We cannot educate people on issues like dowry or child marriage by simply telling them that it is against the law, without understanding their social context or gaining their trust. I now go beyond analysing the legal provisions and precedents - and understand how the law shapes society. At iProbono, I have the opportunity to take these experiences to different communities in Bangladesh.Īrpeeta met with children engaged in hazardous employment from multiple automobile workshops during a Street Law Programme on Child Rights in August 2019. During my Master’s programme at Harvard University, I designed a street law research project under the supervision of Professor David McQuoid Mason and had access to unlimited street law resources. This prompted me to become the coordinator of ELCOP’s (Empowerment through Law of the Common People) street law programme. ![]() When they explained the law through street law methods, I realised that I understood it even better than I did in class. What inspired you to become a street lawyer? How has this shaped your professional journey?ĭuring my first year of law school in Dhaka University, I regularly assisted on street law programmes organised by the seniors. Ridwanul Hoque, Professor of Law at the University of Dhaka, conducted this session on the applicability of the law of torts in Bangladesh, with a specific focus on negligence. The Training of Trainers session organised by iProbono on 16 November 2020 for street lawyers. When there is an exchange of ideas between them, both are enriched. Street law can be viewed as the bridge between lawyers who know the law and laypersons who know the context and require redress. Through stories, roleplay, and debates, we taught them how the law can be applied in real-life situations. They knew the theory and principles of the law but did not know how it plays out in the legal system. Most of our participants were law students who study torts as part of their university curriculum. Recently, we concluded a virtual street law programme on medical negligence and the law of torts in Bangladesh. ![]() Street law is an effective empowerment tool and can help you navigate and understand legal information you may already have. You may question the need for legal awareness initiatives in today’s information and tech boom, but findings from iProbono’s street law programmes suggest that while information might be easily available, people cannot exercise their rights until they can contextualise the information they have. For instance, in the 1970s, during the civil rights movement, law students in the United States used street law to create rights awareness among the African-American community who were economically and socially excluded. Historically, street law programmes have provided information otherwise inaccessible to those marginalised by society. What makes street law relevant today? How does it help promote pro bono culture in South Asia? Their conversation highlights the potential and challenges of delivering street law programs amidst the pandemic. Senior Legal Officer at iProbono in Bangladesh, Arpeeta Shams Mizan, discusses the relevance of street law in promoting social justice in South Asia with Meenakshi Menon, Senior Program Manager for iProbono’s work across South Asia.
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