Jordan Times
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Public respond to human rights
project
AMMAN (JT) — Human rights activists say they are receiving a “good” response
from segments of the society targeted by a programme offering the public legal
assistance.
President of the Law Group for Human Rights “Mizan,” Firas Azar, told The Jordan
Times yesterday that government agencies and other NGOs are also extending a
helping hand to the Himayah (protection) Project, which is funded by the
European Commission.
The 18-month Himayah Project, which started in March 2004, aims to ensure a
better compliance of Jordanian law with international human rights standards and
the effective implementation of these laws as well as raising public awareness
and ensuring justice by providing free assistance and consultations.
“We have not faced any major problems, in fact so far we have had a lot of
assistance from NGOs and the general public,” said Azar.
However, Azar noted that the project “requires a lot of staff and more
cooperation from concerned organisations to help reach people outside Amman.”
The project mainly provides free legal aid and is comprised of three components,
the first of which is lobbying. Mizan officials said they have coordinated the
effort with some of the country's jurists to study laws related to human rights
such as the Personal Status Law, which will be debated at the Parliament in the
coming session.
The second component is public awareness, which is to be achieved through the
media, including TV and radio broadcasts focusing on issues such as the legal
age of marriage.
The most important component, they said, is legal assistance. Three centres have
been opened to offer free legal consultations for citizens, especially the
vulnerable segments (old people, children and women) of society. Cases that
require legal action are taken to courts all over the Kingdom, where Mizan
lawyers represent the plaintiffs. There are centres in Amman, Ajloun and Tafileh.
Mizan also has “polarisation centres” in Jordan's 12 governorates. These centres
are run by NGOs, such as the North Badia Society for Social Development. In
addition to following up on cases in their respective areas, they also refer
cases to the Himayah centres. These assisting NGOs are called “antennas” in the
project's literature. A 24-hour hotline is also available to provide
consultations.
Nonprofit Mizan started its activities in 1998 and has since undertaken a series
of projects aimed at promoting a culture of human rights in the country.