From 2011 onwards, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is building on its last 3 years of success in the justice sector by funding a programme through the Ministry of Home and the Ministry of Law to address gaps in access to justice for the poor. This assistance has two levels. First, through the Ministry of Home, it pilots case tracking, proactive legal aid, and coordination of courts, prison and police in 5 districts. The impact is felt in a drastic reduction of poor people in prison, awaiting trial indefinitely, while their families sink into abject poverty. While the success is evident at the level of pilot districts, the second part of German assistance seeks to mainstream this dynamism, in partnership with the Ministries of Law and of Home, by targeting required changes in the law, and by replacing the 19th century Jail Code with a modern Prison Act. A third element of the project will be corruption prevention, with a clear orientation towards chapters 2 and 5 of UNCAC.
Venue
Bangladesh
Key Date
Organised By
German Government / GIZ
Sub Category
Implementing legislation