Tajikistan Legal Support Activity

OVERVIEW

The USAID Legal Support Activity (USAID LSA) promotes an enabling legal framework for civil society, raises awareness of citizen’s legal rights, and supports a justice sector responsive to citizen needs. This USAID Activity is implemented by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) in partnership with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI).

OUR WORK

Laws and regulations that enable and protect civil society organizations (CSO) are essential for building a strong civil society, fostering national stability, and ensuring citizens' prosperity. Awareness of legal rights and access to a responsive justice system build trust in the system, strengthening the rule of law and democratic norms.

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

USAID LSA supports a more robust civil society that can better advocate and protect vulnerable and marginalized citizen’s rights and increase the responsiveness of the justice sector to serve their needs including by increasing women’s participation in the justice system. USAID LSA supports CSOs serving persons with disabilities, disadvantaged women, and vulnerable groups, and works with the government to strengthen partnerships with civil society. USAID LSA implements initiatives based the following three principles:

Increasing Engagement of Civil Society in Legal Reform: USAID LSA supports civil society to become more involved with government in law-making by supporting:

public hearings for civil society on the Parliamentary Working Group’s draft law on Social Entrepreneurship.
the Ministry of Justice to hold workshops with civil society regarding registration and reporting.
the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan to meaningfully involve civil society in public consultations on legal reforms and expand job opportunities for women.
civil society with small grants to raise citizen’s awareness of their legal rights.

Enhancing Civil Society's Role in Legal Empowerment of Citizens: USAID LSA develops the capacity of civil society to deliver legal aid to vulnerable citizens. USAID LSA selected 13 Alumni CSOs representatives for advanced training on legal aid topics and adult teaching methodologies to become legal aid resources in their communities. In the first three months of their work, they have provided 480 consultations and delivered 14 informational sessions for 262 citizens on topics including family law, land use, and stopping gender-based violence – addressing a critical need for legal assistance for vulnerable persons across Tajikistan.

USAID LSA supports an online Legal Resource Center staffed by lawyers from Tajikistan’s Union of Advocates who provide legal assistance to civil society and vulnerable citizens including persons with disabilities, women, and migrants and their families across Tajikistan.

Improving responsiveness of the judiciary, legal profession, and lawmakers and advancing women’s participation in the justice sector: USAID LSA is training two thirds of Tajikistan’s women judges on topics including delivering justice to vulnerable citizens and gender equality in the courtroom to build their professional capacity and position them for career advancement. USAID LSA will train women in the police and prosecutor’s office to investigate gender-based violence cases with a victim-centered approach while helping these women advance in their careers.