Law students join hands for Legal Aid Clinic and Disability Law Awareness Program

The Law Students Association of Sri Lanka (LSASL) in collaboration with the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka and the UNDP Equal Access to Justice Project successfully held a Disability Law Awareness Programme and Legal Aid Clinic on 6 October at the Kalutara District Secretariat Hall.

The day started with a workshop on Disability Law, conducted by Lasanthi Dascon, Manique Gunaratne and Kularatne Edirisighe, with the objective of creating awareness on Disability law and empowering persons with disabilities, by making them aware of their rights under the Sri Lankan legal system.

The three speakers focused on the protection accorded to all persons; the right to Equality under Article 12 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. They urged that persons with disabilities should utilise this article in situations of discrimination, as persons should be treated equally before the law, irrespective of any disability.

Furthermore, the need to develop the law in Sri Lanka in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons was discussed. The highlight of the workshop was the signing of a document drafted by LSASL by all participants, requesting the State to ratify the aforementioned UN Convention and to enact enabling legislation accordingly.  

The second aspect of the programme was the Legal Aid Clinic, which was open for the general public on any matter of law. This was done with the objective of addressing the needs and concerns of individuals   who find it difficult to access the justice system due to financial difficulties and those who are marginalised in society; being unaware of their legal rights. 15 lawyers from the Kalutara Bar and Legal Aid Commission participated in this endeavour, which benefited over 300 persons from the Kalutara District.

The novelty of this project was that it saw the participation of over 60 law students from various legal education institutions from across the country, who came together to serve those in need. The law students were able to gain practical knowledge on how the lawyer-client legal consultation process is conducted. This was done in keeping with one of the main objectives of LSASL, which is to promote diverse learning opportunities for law students while also instilling a sense of public responsibility in the advocacy of social justice.

The Chief Guest for the occasion was Chitra Abeyratne, Head of the Kalutara Legal Aid Commission, while other dignitaries included Bandula Weerasinghe, President of the Kalutara Bar Association, Vernon Cooray, President of the Wattala Bar Association, Godfrey Cooray Adviser and Consultant to the Ministry of Social Services, and Director National Institute of Social Development, Samantha Wedage (OIC Kalutara South), I.P. Tennakoon (Kalutara South), Kumudini Senaratne, Social Service Officer of the Kalutara District, and Senani Silva representative from Women in Need (WIN).