Background:

For many victims of serious human rights violations in Bangladesh, justice remains out of reach long before a case reaches court. Poverty, fear, intimidation, missing documents, and years of legal harassment often make the justice system impossible to navigate alone. International standards recognise that victims of gross human rights violations are entitled to an effective remedy, access to justice, and reparation. Recent UN findings on Bangladesh have also stressed the need for victim-centred remedies, evidence preservation, and stronger protection for victims and witnesses.

Access to Justice Project:

This project is designed for victims and families affected by extrajudicial killings, politically motivated killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and politically motivated false cases. Its purpose is simple: to help people who cannot pursue justice on their own because of financial, social, and procedural barriers. The project will offer practical, focused support while building on Bangladesh’s existing legal aid framework and recent efforts to make legal aid more accessible through digital services.

Project Activities- At a glance:

Free legal aid: Provide free legal support to financially vulnerable victims and families who need help to understand their options and pursue appropriate legal remedies.

Case intake and triage: Review each case carefully so urgent matters, documentation needs, and referrals can be handled in the right way from the start. This helps the project stay practical, focused, and cost-effective.

Documentation support: Help victims organise case papers, timelines, and available evidence so their cases can move forward more safely and effectively.

Referral support: Connect victims, where needed, with trusted lawyers and other support services, including medical, psychosocial, or documentation-related assistance. This keeps the model realistic while responding to the wider needs of survivors and families.

Youth volunteer engagement: Engage youth volunteers from legal academic programmes to support intake, follow-up, legal awareness, and documentation under professional supervision. This will help widen access to justice while building a new generation of public-interest legal professionals.

Why this project matters: Bangladesh already has a legal aid system, but survivors of serious human rights violations often need more specialised support than ordinary legal aid can provide. This project is designed to bridge that gap through a practical, victim-centred pilot that can be strengthened and expanded over time.