Raising awareness of legal aid for ethnic minorities

Implementing content number 3 about “Strengthening and improving the ability to access and enjoy quality legal aid activities for ethnic minority and mountainous areas” under Sub-Project 1, Project 10 of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021 – 2030, the first phase from 2021 to 2025, in recent years, the Provincial State Legal Aid Center (under the Department of Justice) has implemented many practical activities to raise awareness of legal aid for ethnic minorities and mountainous people in the province.

A legal assistant of Provincial State Legal Aid Center advises ethnic minorities

Ms. Hoang Thi Bich, Director of the Provincial State Legal Aid Center, said: “Implementing content number 3, the plans of the Provincial People’s Committee and the Department of Justice, we have implemented many solutions to raise awareness of legal aid for ethnic minorities and mountainous community. In particular, the center has enhanced communication, provided model training, organized legal aid seminars to connect the community; compile and provide communication materials on legal aid policies for ethnic minorities. Thereby, it can help ethnic minorities who are subject to legal aid to access free legal services of the State, contributing to ensuring human rights and civil rights in access to justice and equality before the law.”

First of all, the center has increased the organization of communication sessions on legal aid for ethnic minority and mountainous community in the province. In the past 2 years (2022, 2023), the center has organized 43 information sessions on legal aid for more than 2,500 attendees. The content were about the 2017 Law on Legal Aid and documents guiding its implementation; subjects, scope, and forms of legal aid; rights and obligations of legal aid recipients; organizations and providers of legal aid.

Along with that, the center has coordinated to widely introduce about legal aid on the mass media and to distribute legal aid documents. From 2022 to now, the center has coordinated to develop 5 reportages on guidance of accessing legal aid broadcast on Provincial Radio and Television, posted on Lang Son E-Newspaper, and sent news about legal assistance activities to Lang Son Newspaper, the provincial website on legal education dissemination… Additionally, it  has compiled and distributed over 47,000 leaflets “You and what you need to know about the right to receive legal aid”, 8,000 copies of “Legal aid handbook”, 70,000 leaflets “legal aid for ethnic minorities in criminal proceedings”… Thereby, people in ethnic minority areas can easily access information about legal aid.

In 2023, the State Legal Aid Center has completed 437 legal aid cases with the form of participation in legal proceedings and legal advice (up 80 cases compared to 2022). In term of subjects receiving legal aid, there have been 12 cases  for people with meritorious services to the revolution (up 1 case compared to 2022),  26 cases for poor households (up 2 cases compared to 2022), 263 cases for ethnic minorities residing in areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions (up 11 cases compared to 2022)…

 

Due to lack of knowledge about the law, in June 2022, Mr. H.Đ.T, Na Nat village, Chau Son commune, Dinh Lap district hired people and participated himself in cutting down his family’s forest for economic development, including more than 6,600 square meters of natural protection forest, hence, Mr. T was prosecuted for forest destruction. Mr. T said: “Through the mass media, I came to know that ethnic minorities living in extremely difficult socio-economic areas are eligible for free legal aid, in February 2023, I apply for legal aid. During the first instance trial in August 2023 and the appeal in November 2023, I received enthusiastic help from the assistant of the Provincial State Legal Aid Center who provided me with the law, participated in my defense, guided my family to pay for overcoming the consequences. Thanks to that, from the first instance sentence of 2 years and 6 months in prison, at the appeal court, I was given a sentence of 2 years and 6 months in prison but as a suspended sentence.”

Not only does the center widely provide information, the center also organizes model and thematic training courses on legal aid for officials, reputable people, and part-time officials at grassroots level in villages and residential groups in ethnic minority and mountainous community in the province. From 2022 up to now, the center has organized 46 model and thematic training conferences on legal aid for more than 6,000 attendees. Ms. Hoang Thi Hai, legal assistant of Provincial State Legal Aid Center, said: “At the model training conference, we focused on providing instructions on how to access and benefit from legal assistance policies, instructions on process, procedure, forms of introducing people eligible for legal aid. Moreover, delegates exchanged, discussed and listened to answers to questions about issues related to legal aid and many legal fields occurring in life such as marriage, family, land and criminal law. Thereby, reputable people in the community and officials at grassroots level can become an important bridge between the Party Committee, the government and the People, helping ethnic minorities to access and enjoy free legal aid services when encountering legal problems.

Through many practical activities, the awareness of ethnic minorities in the province about legal aid is increasingly raised, the number of legal aid cases is increasing. For example, in 2023, the State Legal Aid Center has completed 437 legal aid cases with the form of participation in legal proceedings and legal advice (up 80 cases compared to 2022). In term of subjects receiving legal aid, there have been 12 cases  for people with meritorious services to the revolution (up 1 case compared to 2022),  26 cases for poor households (up 2 cases compared to 2022), 263 cases for ethnic minorities residing in areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions (up 11 cases compared to 2022)… Legal aid cases are guaranteed according to the law, there are no complaint or denunciation regarding legal aid.