Role of different NGO’S of Rajshahi in dealing with ADR

NGO means Non-Governmental organization. The development of a country depends upon the activities of a state government. But in the mediation development is not possible only by the activities of the Govt. The Non-government organization is doing a lot of amazing activities for development of a static[1].

NGO plays role in the legal sectors a for awareness of the citizens a development of the peoples status. In Bangladesh, the most concerning NGOs are MLAA (Madaripur legal Aid Association), BLAST (Bangladesh legal Aid a service Trust) BNALA (Bangladesh national woman Lawyer’s Association) etc. In this research the containing issue of ADR Activities in Rajshahi: comparative study, the researcher will concern in role of NGO, prominent in their ADR activities in Rajshahi. Among them-BLAST, BNWLA, are very much active in ADR activities in Rajshahi. Now, the Researcher will forms role of the Blast & BNWLA in Rajshahi.

BLAST

BLAST, the Bangladesh legal Aid services Trust (BLAST) is a NGO, has been registered in 1993 as a NGO which provides the legal assistance to poor people in the aspect of fundamental rights or other statutory rights through the Judicial Systems as well as quasi-judicial or alternative way. It aims to ensure opportunities for securing justice backward reaction. BLAST involves in PIL, rural mediation legislative advocate and for protecting women workers economic rights. It also gives legal aid clinics as part of its legal literary & legal aid service. The main activities have done by BLAST through legal aid by the process of ADR activities or by alternative dispute resolution method. From the case studies or piratical method there is a clear knowledge about the ADR activities of NGOs in Rajshahi.

ADR activities of BLAST in Rajshahi are done on two categories of beneficiaries. For people from the middle class a above BLAST conducts arbitration for settling disputes and for those coming from a less fortunate economic background mediation services are made available. BLAST prods to assists in the sentiment of the confect. It settled through arbitration methods where the demand of the parties being quite specific, where the people in a dispute issue has lack of legal knowledge and demand is unclear them mediation services are highly effective.

Disposed suits in the month of December, 2011 through the Bangladesh Legal Aid Services and Trust Rajshahi Unit[1].

S.N.	Reg. & Date	Plaintiff	Defendant	Nature of Allegation	Salish No. (with date) Number of sittings & Date of Salish	Type of Settlement	Settlement Date	Output of Salish & Amount of recovery money
1.	31/263/2011 15.05.2011	Mst. Firoza Begum	Md. Rafiqul	Family matters	175/2011 31.05.11 15.06.11 07.07.11 25.07.11 10.08.11 08.09.11 02.10.11 15.11.11 30.11.11 01.12.11	Dower & Maintenance	01.12.11 Through office	Execution of divorce, Amonut of dower money & maintenance  TK.15000
2.	68/560/2011 25.11.11	Mst.  Morzina	Md. Abu Bakar Siddque	Dowry	374/2011 16.11.11 01.12.11	Mutual	01.12.11 Through office	Continuation of marital relation
3.	73/565/2011 26.10.11	Mst. Sahana	Md. Imran Hossain	Criminal	377/2011 17.11.11 04.12.11	Others	04.12.11 Through office	Mother shall be the cusdian of her 13 years daughter
4.	41/615/20111 22.11.11	Mst. Salma	Md. Sohel Rana	Dowry	404/2011 11.12.11	mutual	11.12.11 Through office	Parties shall continue their marital relation with children Maintenance money TK. 100 per day
5.	52/526/2011 29.11.11	Mst. Mina Begum	Md. Abdus Sattar	Criminal	414/2011 15.12.11	Others	15.12.11 Through office	Maintaining their good relation
6.	33/607/2011 20.11.11	Mst. Sikha Yasmin	Md. Zahangir Hossain	Dowry	398/2011 04.12.11 19.12.11	Mutual	19.12.11 Through office	Maintaining their marital relation & payment of maintenance duly
7.	08/638/2011 05.12.11	Mst. Kohinur	Md. Nobirul	Family matters	421/2011 21.12.11	Mutual	21.12.11 Through office	Wife will oblige her husband
8.	02/576/2011 02.11.11	Mst. Somanta Ban	Md. Sukur	Family matters	382/2011 22.12.11	Mutual	22.12.11 Through office	Full status of wife & payment of due maintenance TK.1500
9.	25/599/2011 16.11.11	Mst. Sadina	Md. Parveza Shekh	Dowry	392/2011 28/.11.11 14.12.11 27.12.11	Mutual	27.12.11 Through office	Husband shall not torture his wife
10.	17/591/2011 15.11.11	Mst. Delowara	Abdul Mannan	Dowry	388/2011 30.11.11 15.12.11 28.12.11	Divorce & payment of dower and maintenance	28.12.11 Through office	Break-up their relation & payment of dower and maintenance cost TK. 35000.

BNWLA

BNWLA is a one of the renounce NGO in Bangladesh. The elaboration “BNWLA” is Bangladesh National woman Lawyer’s Association. It is NGO which has established in.  

In Briefly, BNWLA has three categories program approach. These are PPR. That merges.

• 1^st P = Protection

• 2^nd P = Prevention

• 3^rdly P = Rehabilitation

ADR Activities are inhered with the 2^nd “P” that means with in the preventive activities by the BNWLA Among the different Criteria to deal preventive activities there are some activities, such as- 

(i)                 Conduct awareness

(ii)               Assist community by partners to get access to informal and formal Justice System.

(iii)             Sensitize people through mass media.

In the aspect of (iii) The BNWLA assist community to get access of informal Justice System through ADR Activities.

BNWLA believes to ensure Justice; the survivors should be brought under a system friendly to women and children. In the year 2007, BNWLA has received 6676 Cognizable offense through shalish. Mediation or Alternative Dispute resolution (ADR) and accordingly a total of 484 complaints were resolved through mediation. But when they failed to resolve the complaint through mediation then the lawyers filed the case. The approach is to give priority to mediation and once it failed then the case is being filed. The Graph II shows distribution of cases by mature of violence. During the reporting period the organization has filed a total of 614 cases where 120 cases were filed directly by the partner organization with the help of the clinic lawyers. Out of these cases 329 were criminal in nature while 285 were civil in nature.

BNWLA, has bun playing the role of catalyst through capacity building by providing training on “Shalish”, “Mediation”, “Fact finding” a “Paralegal”.

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[1] This report  has collected from the office of BLAST, Rajshahi Unit

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[1] Halim, Md. Abdul, ADR in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges, 2^nd Edition (January, 2011), CCB Foundation, p.164