MyJustice is a
European Union-funded
access to justice Access to justice is a basic principle in rule of law which describe how citizens have equal access to the legal systems in their context. Most contexts have initiatives and programs are designed to provide legal services to populations that may oth ...
initiative, which aims to equip the people of
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
with the knowledge, confidence and opportunities to resolve conflicts fairly, equitably and justly. The project was set up to address the flaws in the country's justice system, a legacy of decades of colonial and military rule that is among the many challenges facing
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
as it opens up and transitions to a civilian government. With concern over the
Judiciary lacking independence from military or political control, and disputes over land ownership and labour laws a particular problem. Setting up "justice centres" to improve access to justice by offering free legal advice to low-income and marginalised people, and the first centres opened in
Yangon and
Mawlamyine (the Capital of
Mon State
Mon State ( my, မွန်ပြည်နယ်, ; mnw, တွဵုရးဍုင်မန်, italics=no) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It lies between Kayin State to the east, the Andaman Sea to the west, Bago Region to the ...
) in 2015. They have also been involved in projects relating to the introduction of
legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...
and training. In 2017 they had provided legal representation to over 2,400 clients and legal advice to over 1,400 others, and opened centres in
Mandalay
Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census).
Mandalay was fo ...
and
Taunggyi (the
Shan State capital). In 2018 expanding and opening more centres in
Hpa-an,
Bago and
Naypyitaw. In 2020 they linked up with the Scottish
Faculty of Advocates to learn how the
Scottish criminal justice system has adapted to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and to get assistance in training and capacity building of the Myanmar legal community.
[{{Cite web, last=News, first=Scottish Legal, title=Vice-Dean of Faculty in talk to Myanmar lawyers, url=https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/vice-dean-of-faculty-in-talk-to-myanmar-lawyers, access-date=2020-12-03, website=Scottish Legal News, language=en]
References
External links
Official website
MyJustice
Legal aid