The Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ) of Brac University organized a webinar on Grassroots Justice to commemorate World Day of Social Justice recently.
CPJ also recognized and honoured Advocate Fazlul Huq, secretary, Madaripur Legal Aid Association, for his lifetime contribution to social justice and for dedicating himself to improving accessibility to informal justice institutions by the poor and marginalized communities in Bangladesh, reads a press release issued Wednesday.
The panellists for the session were Advocate Md Fazlul Huq, Dr Mizanur Rahman, professor of law, University of Dhaka, and former chair of National Human Rights Commission Sara Hossain, honorary director, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Zakir Hossain, chief executive, Nagorik Uddyog, Ayesha Taasin Khan, senior director and head of Inclusive Citizenship, Friendship, and Dr Qazi Zahed Iqbal, advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court and panel lawyer, BLAST.
The webinar started with an introduction by Dr M Sanjeeb Hossain, research director, CPJ, and the discussion was moderated by Shahariar Sadat, director, Academic and Legal Empowerment.
In the discussion, Dr Mizanur Rahman said establishing equality, social justice and dignity were the key drivers of the Liberation War of 1971.
“Human dignity is reliant on the proper administration of social justice and we need to increase the opportunities for the marginalized community,” he said.
In her remarks, Sara Hossain stated the works of Advocate Fazlul Huq encouraged people to work for the poor and underprivileged.
For Fazlul Huq, legal aid was more than a technical matter; it was a means of societal reform and fundamental human solidarity, she said.
Zakir Hossain stated community mediation, knowledge, and arbitration are the priorities of his activities, which were inspired by Fazlul Huq.
It is important to increase access to justice through human rights education at the grassroots level, he said.
Ayesha Taasin Khan said the tools and approaches used by Advocate Fazlul Huq were unique and they need to be replicated in other organizations that are providing paralegal support to the marginalized community.
In his remarks, Dr Qazi Zahed Iqbal mentioned that connecting formal justice with the masses is important.
The mediation and arbitration laws have expanded the options for seeking justice, but more effort is needed, he said.
Advocate Fazlul Huq emphasized that a successful state must prioritize social justice.
Legal education should reach the grassroots level so that the marginalized people feel empowered, he said.
The panel speakers handed over a crest to Advocate Fazlul Huq for his lifetime contribution to social justice.
Manzoor Hasan OBE, executive director, CPJ, concluded the webinar by saying the Madaripur Mediation Model needs to be passed to the future generation.
He thanked everyone for attending the webinar.
