City runs short on full-time lawyers for the poor
City runs short on full-time lawyers for the poor
JAKARTA (JP): The city needs more legal aid organizations with
full-time lawyers for poor people, a lawyer said over the
weekend.
Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, the former head of the Jakarta
Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), said there were several legal
aid offices offering low cost or free legal services but none of
them had enough full-time lawyers.
Nursyahbani now leads the Legal Aid Office of the Association
of Indonesian Women for Justice (LBH-APIK)
"When clients seek help the lawyers are often busy working
elsewhere," she said.
Nursyahbani was commenting on yesterday's presentation of
cases received by the Jakarta Legal Aid Office.
Of 1,083 cases received during the year, 47 percent or 508
cases concerned divorce, inheritance and other family matters,
and environmental issues. Figures for specific types of cases are
not yet available.
A lawyer at LBH Jakarta, Apong Herlina, said LBH had tried to
work with other legal aid offices but clients came back to them.
"The other organizations asked for payment" which clients
could not afford, Apong said.
There are no official records on the number of legal aid
offices in greater Jakarta.
Among professional legal aid offices for family matters,
Nursyahbani referred to the Legal Aid Office for Women and the
Family in South Jakarta.
"But this office targets the middle class," Nursyahbani said.
Consultation fees are Rp 10,000 for the first hour.
LBH Jakarta sets clients' charges after assessing their
financial situation.
Another low cost legal aid offices is LBH Kowani, owned by the
largest non-government women's organization, the Congress of
Indonesian Women (Kowani).
Others are LBH Kosgoro, run by a Golkar-affiliated
organization and one former vice president Sudharmono set up
which offers legal aid to poor people.
In May, topnotch lawyers from the Indonesian Bar Association,
set up a free legal aid office on Jl. Majapahit, West Jakarta. It
is called the Lembaga Keadilan Indonesia (Indonesian Justice
Institute).
Nursyahbani said her office, which is in an industrial area
bordering East Jakarta and Bogor, was also flooded with labor
complaints.
Since it was set up in January, LBH-APIK has received about 90
cases. Fifty-four cases involved family issues and 22 concerned
domestic violence.
Nursyahbani said the lack of low cost legal aid was one of
many problems. Another was the strict legalistic approach to
cases.
In domestic violence cases, for instance, lawyers' sensitivity
is needed to understand how society views women, she said
Lawyers should help highlight all aspects of the legal system
which hamper justice seekers, such as judges hinting that they
can be bribed. (anr)