AATR – Associação de Advogados de Trabalhadores Rurais do Estado da Bahia

Curso de Formação Juristas Leigos para Pescadores e Vazanteiros do Rio São Francisco

Expansion of access to the justice system for rural workers

The fishing communities living on the banks of the São Francisco River in northern Minas Gerais suffer daily because the governmental agencies, companies and local land owners don’t respect the laws designed to protect them. Environmental degradation and pollution, privatization of access to water, and land expropriation are just some of the factors that affect the daily lives of these communities.

The training course for lay jurists, which focuses on basic concepts of rights for youths and adults, is looking to strengthen notions of citizenship and maintain a decent quality of life for these people. The course is divided into six stages and it incorporates discussion about access to rights, public policy, community level advocacy and means for accessing the justice system. The final meeting will encourage the autonomy of communities and promote dialogue.

IMPACT

With support from BrazilFoundation, the project will:

• Train people from local communities, improving their access to the justice system and facilitating an understanding of legal language;
• Encourage collaboration to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices;
• Train 40 community representatives as “education multipliers” who can share their knowledge with community members;
• Benefit 3,000 people indirectly across 12 municipalities.

“Exposing rights violations will help strengthen the community and opportunities for a more dignified life” – Carlos Eduardo Lemos Chaves, manager