Fiji Human Rights and Anti‑Discrimination Commission Director, Ashwin Raj has emphasized the importance of respect for, protection and promotion of human rights in Fiji to refresh the understanding of the community advocates.
While speaking at the Fiji Access to Justice Project workshop funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, Raj says the refresher for the community advocates is necessary so that they can talk about human rights with confidence to members of the community in a way that they will fully understand and embrace it.
Consultations that have been undertaken by the Human Rights and Anti‑Discrimination Commission, combined with feedback from other legal outreach initiatives and non‑governmental organisations’ inputs, clearly demonstrate the need to raise awareness and provide basic services, such as referrals and fundamental human rights to communities across Fiji.
The project supports access to justice for impoverished and vulnerable groups through empowering people to access legal rights and services through the relevant key justice institutions, in conjunction with strengthening those key justice institutions to undertake improved service delivery.
The project is engaging a network of community advocates to extend rights knowledge to those in the most remote communities and establish a network of frontlines for public legal rights education and outreach work.
EU Ambassador to Fiji and the Pacific, Sujiro Seam says respecting human rights is an essential element of democracy, which is one of the key values the EU supports.
The workshop, which follows an introduction training in 2017, aims to provide more than 25 community advocates, who are members of youth groups, faith‑based groups, civil society organisations and others, with an opportunity to refresh their knowledge on human rights principles, human rights‑based approach, Fiji’s social and legal services, gender equality, and other important topics. The service providers from government agencies, institutions and civil society organizations will assist the participants with their expertise.
Legal Aid Commission Acting Director, Shahin Ali says the Commission provides a variety of legal services in relation to civil, criminal and family laws to all Fijians, particularly to those who are unable to exercise their right to access justice for economic reasons. He says he is pleased to provide the community advocates with information about the legal aid services provided by the Legal Aid Commission and strengthen the role they play in communities.
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