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Govt. chided for not funding legal aid in Linden
– Women Lawyers President wants issue addressed in Parliament
President of the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, Emily Dodson, is appealing to Members of Parliament to ensure Region 10 residents are provided with adequate legal aid services.
Dodson emphasized that Government provides over $30M per year for citizens to access free legal services across Guyana, except in Region 10. Nonetheless residents benefit from free legal services provided by UNICEF but that is inadequate.
Emily Dodson
She stressed, “Funding for legal aid in that area is done through UNICEF, which is given in tranches and when the money is almost finished persons have to work for free and you don’t know if you are going to close down…For whatever reason Government has not funded legal aid in Linden.”
Dodson made those remarks at the National Congress of Women (NCW) symposium in observance of International Women’s Day 2012. The event was held under the theme ‘Women Garnering Information-A Perquisite for Social Justice’ on Sunday on the lawns of the NCW Headquarters, Kitty.
According to Dodson, this matter has to be addressed in Parliament so that the people of Linden would not be treated as stepchildren of this country. The Guyana Legal Aid Centre has offices in Regions Two and Six and the main office is in Georgetown, she added.
Dodson enlightened that she recently met with the Leader of the Opposition, David Granger and discussed this issue. She posited that access to justice is a fundamental right and if one cannot access justice because of financial reasons his or her fundamental right is being breached.
The organization’s president also noted that legal aid services are provided for children (those aged 17 and below) who come into trouble with the law. She stated that there is a children’s legal aid lawyer in the person of Jaya Manickchand.
Dodson asserted that this programme is also funded by UNICEF and is located at Maraj Building in Georgetown.
Besides seeking justice via the court persons could also utilize the services of a mediator to assist in finding solutions for issues affecting them. She explained that mediation is a mechanism used to settle disputes outside of the court.
While emphasizing that there is a Mediator Co-ordinator attached to the court, Dodson said some matters do not have to reach the court since they could be settled with the help of a mediator.
She said, “You have a mediator who is a neutral person- the mediator is not saying who is right or wrong, that person facilitates a discussion with the two parties to meet an amicable resolution to their matter which is a win-win situation.”
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