LEGAL AID

AMADER AIN provides legal advice and representation at all levels of the justice system with an emphasis on providing services to those living in poverty or facing disadvantage or discrimination. Legal services, including mediation, litigation and legal rights training, are provided through AMADER AIN's head office and nineteen unit offices throughout Bangladesh.

Mediation
AMADER AIN facilitates alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through mediation for family, land, financial, petty criminal, and labour matters. AMADER AIN has settled over 500 disputes across the country since 2012. Resolving disputes through mediation allows individuals and families to quickly recover land, assets, maintenance, dower and/or arrears of wages. The recovered funds are used by clients for many purposes: to earn livelihoods, to begin savings, or to send children to school. By providing mediation services, AMADER AIN has also contributed towards reducing the overwhelming number of cases pending before local courts.

Litigation
AMADER AIN provides advice and representation for individuals whose disputes cannot resolved through mediation or who have been the victims of criminal offences or human rights violations. The overwhelming number of AMADER AIN’s clients are women living in poverty. AMADER AIN has filed over 200 cases since 2012, and the majority of resolved cases have been decided in favor of its clients. AMADER AIN’s litigation services play a crucial role in ensuring access to the justice system for poor and vulnerable people. AMADER AIN also files public interest litigation (PIL) petitions in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. See more about PIL and Advocacy.

Awareness/Training

AMADER AIN conducts awareness programmes across Bangladesh among the public regarding legal rights and remedies, focusing on courtyard meetings for women.  AMADER AIN also conducts training workshops for local community leaders to build legal awareness.

Gopigagh Legal Aid Clinic
AMADER AIN’s legal aid clinic undertakes awareness activities for Dhaka slum dwellers on laws and Constitutional rights that affect them most. The clinic also provides mediation services. The clinic mediators are well respected by both men and women of the community, and they are able to improve the well-being of community women through mediation. The clinic also makes referrals to other organizations to make sure individual needs outside the scope of AMADER AIN’s work are met.

Investigation
AMADER AIN has conducted over 150 investigations of human rights violations, including those impacting on women and girls, religious or ethnic minorities and children. Investigations and research studies have allowed AMADER AIN lawyers to support ongoing litigation by AMADER AIN and other organizations and to underpin its advocacy initiatives to address gaps in laws and institutional responses.