The Thongbai Thongpao Foundation (TTF) in Thailand brings free legal assistance to rural residents. The organization also provides training on basic human rights and laws affecting their daily lives. While Thailand enjoyed rapid economic growth in the 1990s, much of the improved standard of living was concentrated in metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, rural populations lag behind economically and have little awareness of the rights guaranteed by modern Thai law. This leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by corrupt officials and moneylenders.
TTF’s Law to the Villages Initiative
TTF’s Law to the Villages course targets teachers, students, community leaders, poor farmers and women. TTF staff and a team of volunteer lawyers hold weekend training workshops in the villages. These are usually at the request of villagers who are facing problems with state officials. Over two full days of training, participants learn about constitutional law, human rights, marriage, loans and mortgages, labor law and other legal issues that concern them. Additionally, dramatizations of court cases complement the lectures and discussion.
Participants receive photo identity cards with the name and signature of their personal lawyer after completing the course. The back of each card lists the rights of suspects: the right to silence, to legal assistance, to know the charges against them and to post bail. After the program, a local paralegal committee of five to seven people is set up in the village to ensure that human rights standards are followed and to help organize courses.
In isolated communities, lack of knowledge hinders people's ability to claim their rights. In Thailand, a group combines community education through skits and seminars with access to the legal system, empowering villagers to assert their rights. Each participant receives a business card with a lawyer’s contact information, providing psychological support and deterring potential rights violations. This approach could benefit rural areas worldwide where people are unaware of their rights. A similar initiative in Uganda also educates communities about their rights and facilitates mediation, enhancing access to justice for victims of abuse.
New Tactics in Human Rights does not advocate for or endorse specific tactics, policies or issues.
