Student Legal Aid Forum (SLAF), country’s only youth action platform for legal aid has launched the SLAF One Click Legal Aid app for android phones (beta version). The app was launched on the National Legal Aid Day 2016, where almost all the providers of Legal Aid in Bangladesh gathered together to observe the National Legal Aid Day.

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Snapshots of the SLAF One Click Legal Aid App

SLAF started working under the umbrella of Justice for All program of NCSC from 25th May, 2015, which was funded by USAID. Initiated and run by a group of enthusiast law students, they have conducted advocacy workshops in four universities of Bangladesh, and has organized national seminars to raise awareness and motivation among the Law students, who will be the key stakeholders in different sectors of Law and justice in the days to come.

Fatima Begum, President of Student Legal Aid Forum stated that this app could be a game changer for providing legal aid services in Bangladesh, because the key problem people face here is the lack of information. “With very simple user interface and a wide range of information support, we hope people will be more benefited; however, the full scale services of the app are yet to be unlocked as we just released the beta version, and the app is still undergoing development.

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SLAF Stall at the Legal Aid Day Observance Program, Engineers Institute, Dhaka

Earlier, to observe the National Legal Aid Day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the Legal Aid Helpline (16430), and then called 16430 and asked about the services offered.

People whose annual income do not exceed Tk 100,000 or those with partial or no earning capacity will qualify for the free services. Besides, Freedom fighters who are unemployed or do not earn beyond Tk 150,000, recipients of the government’s elderly allowance or poor mothers with VGD (Vulnerable Group Development) cards can also receive assistance from Legal Aid.

On 26th January, 2000 the Government of Bangladesh passed the Legal Aid Services Act 2000 (LASA) to make legal aid accessible to the underprivileged and disadvantage people of the country and this Act came into force at 28th April 2000 by a Gazette notification. Therefore, the day was earmarked (28 April) as the “National Legal Aid Day” in order to enhance awareness among the people about the availability of the Government’s nationwide free legal aid facilities.