By Vinicius Haesbaert
Besides working to provide free legal aid and access to justice to every citizen, IBJ aims at raising awareness of legal issues in the community level. We envision a world where each and every person is knowledgeable about their rights and is empowered to demand that they are upheld in practice. In that context, IBJ Cambodia has organized a series of Community Legal Education Programs (CLE). They are one-day events, usually held at remote villages, in order to teach basic legal concepts and bring information on fundamental rights.
In August 26th IBJ organized a CLE session in the district of Sordouk Choum in Kandeang, approximately 10 kilometers away from the city center of Pursat Province. Every event is held in a new location in an attempt to reach as many people as possible. Mr. Roth Chantol, however, confessed that he has already been several times in the surroundings of Kandeang District. “I usually come here to stroll and relax. The scenery is beautiful and people are very nice”, said Chantol as the car cut through terracotta paths between rice fields and palm trees in the horizon.
Legal Education Session in Pursat led by Mr. Chantol
The event was held at Koh Choum School and started punctually at 8:30 in the morning. The villagers looked apprehensive to the oncoming car bringing the team of our Defender Resource Center in Pursat. They looked curious about what was to come.
Although there were tables and chairs available in the classroom, most of the people preferred to sit on the floor. “We feel more comfortable here”, said a lady with a young baby on her lap. Out of the 55 participants, 39 were women, mostly older ones with kids on their shoulders. Over the rainy season, it is very common for them to look after their grandchildren while the rest of the family is working in rice fields, or even farther away in Phnom Penh.
A police officer and the community chief composed the chair. Mr. Chantol opened the discussion introducing IBJ as an organization that provides free legal defense, and scrutinizing other foundational concepts that were unknown to the audience, such as the role of a lawyer in defending citizen’s rights.
As the session went on, people participated more and more. They were realizing that several facts of their daily lives were actually legal matters. The villagers raised questions about gambling, money loan, and marriage registry. Mr. Chantol, who possesses a sound education in pedagogy, mobilized the audience by asking who has faced similar issues. The many women played an active role in the discussion. By having leading voices in the community and in their families, they contributed with examples and perceptions.
The lawyer assistant, Mr. Chan Tola, explained about several outreach initiatives of IBJ, such as the radio program and the hotline, a nationwide telephone number where the accused individual or their family may call IBJ after an arrest, allowing IBJ to provide the fastest possible legal representation. Statistics say that in Cambodia the number of mobile phones exceeds the number of inhabitants. Even in an extremely remote village, all the residents readily took note of IBJ’s number on their phones. Cambodia’s Legal Aid hotline system received 350 calls since January 2013.
At the end of the session, many people came to Chantol to thank him with a high sampeah – the Cambodian greeting that demonstrated an enormous level of respect. “I think it is very important to know our rights and fight against injustices”, said the same lady with the baby on her shoulder, “I thank IBJ for this moment”.
The DRC team in Pursat in front of the office, Ms Choun Loeurm, Office Administrator, Mr. Roth Chantol, lawyer, and Mr. Chan Tola, Provincial investigator.