September 2022
Making Justice Accessible to All - Highland Villages of Adjara, Georgia

More than 250 Adjarians from highland villages gathered to learn about women's rights, human trafficking, and free legal services during mobile visits led by the Legal Aid Service (LAS).

Supported by the USAID Rule of Law Program, a project implemented by the East-West Management Institute, the mobile visits took place September 19-20, 2002, in the Khulo, Keda, Shuakhevi and Khelvachauri municipalities. The visits included presentations by student-paralegals and gave village residents an opportunity to meet with lawyers from the LAS Batumi Bureau to consult on legal issues. Residents primarily discussed issues related to land registration, inheritance, domestic violence, and debt.

The informational meetings were led by LAS Deputy Director David Simonia and seven student-paralegals who recently completed trainings in human trafficking, women’s rights and children's rights.

These mobile visits are a part of a larger LAS intiative supported by the USAID Rule of Law Program – the Make Justice Accessible to All - Paralegal Initiative. Launched in July 2022, the initiative involves training non-lawyers in selected legal issues so they can provide primary legal assistance to members of the public who do not otherwise have ready access to legal services.