Preventing Child Marriage
BLAST’s innovation, SafePlus, empowers youth groups to tackle early child marriage by providing leadership, negotiation and legal training, supervised and delivered by experienced paralegals. Details…
SAFE PLUS Paralegal Profile
Munia Akhter
Munia Akhter, an undergraduate Psychology student of Government Titumir College of Dhaka, has emerged as a dynamic leader in her community through her work with the Safe Plus Project, a collaboration between BLAST, King’s College London and the Global Innovation Fund.
As a Paralegal, Munia is at the forefront of preventing child marriage and protecting vulnerable girls. She conducts community awareness sessions, educating families about the laws prohibiting underage marriage and highlighting the importance of girls’ education and empowerment. Her efforts have equipped many individuals with the knowledge to challenge harmful practices
Tania Akhter
Ever since she was a young girl, Tania Akhter had a strong urge to help people and make the world a better place, even if it was through her hobby of shopping for gifts or her dreams of creating job opportunities through her own sustainable agriculture farm. Now at 25 years old, Tania takes care of the community around her by working as a Paralegal with BLAST in their Safe Plus Project. She splits her time between overseeing four of Dhaka’s wards as well as studying in Dhaka’s Titumir College. Tania’s time with BLAST has allowed her leadership skills to shine as she thrives in aiding her local community by simplifying difficult legal concepts and building lasting relationships. She is confident that should a case of child marriage arise, the communities around her would not only aid her but would report it to her as well. Of course, these sorts of relationships take time to build, which Tania achieved through organizing Kishor-Kishori Dol (KKD) members in her localities.
Anju Ara
Anju Ara is a 25-year-old resident of the Kasba area in Dinajpur. She has an Honours degree in Economics and currently works as a Paralegal in the SafePlus project of BLAST in wards 11 and 12 of Kasba area. Her journey to becoming a paralegal was inspired by her experience with the NGO WorldVision, where she discovered her commitment to community service. She realized that many individuals in her community were unaware of their legal rights, which motivated her to take action to help them.
Citizens’ Initiative against Domestic Violence (CIDV)
In 2007, a number of human rights organisations, network organisations, and human rights activists jointly formed a citizens’ coalition named “Citizens’ Initiative Against Domestic Violence (CIDV)”. CIDV is a network that is committed to prevent domestic violence against women. Every member organisation and individual involved in this initiative is actively working to protect the rights of women and prevent domestic violence against women. Details….
Rape Law Reform Now Campaign
Despite increasing reports of rape in the media, conviction rates remain low and rapists continue to enjoy impunity. Meanwhile, most rape victims and survivors still do not come to court to seek redress, and even when they do, they are often forced to abandon the prosecution in the face of threats. Details…