LEGAL IMPLEMENTATION FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE
Justice requires just laws to begin with – laws which focus on the protection of the fundamental human rights of all, particularly the disadvantaged and the marginalized. Statutory law must comply with the recognized standards of human rights law. Effective safeguards must be available to prevent discrimination and uphold fundamental freedoms and equality. This is true not only for new or proposed statutes, rules and policies, but also for existing ones. MARG engages with policy makers in providing inputs for new legislations and assessing existing ones.
Since its inception, MARG has been strongly involved in various campaigns and advocacy activities. Our focus has been on a wide set of issues ranging from securing rights for displaced people, improving implementation of MNREGA, strengthening women’s participation in Panchayats, and resisting violence against women. MARG has been actively involved in providing inputs to the proposed bills on torture, rights of domestic workers and rights of persons with disabilities
PROJECT PARIJAT: Accessing Civic Rights through Active Citizenship Education and Engendered Elected Women Representative
The project is built on three interrelated pillars i.e. active citizenry education, role of elected women representatives and effective local governance. read more…
Strengthening the Access of Women to Protection from Sexual Harassment in The Workplace in the Unorganised Sector
The project on “Strengthening the access of women in the unorganised sector to their right to protection from sexual harassment in the workplace” examined whether the provisions in the SHW Act for women in the unorganized sector are properly implemented and if women know about these rights and if there is effective advocacy to address gaps. Focus Group Discussions and RTI was filed to get the relevant information. It was made to make aware the LCC members about their duties in form of a handbook, awareness programs were conducted to select the justice workers and they were accordingly trained on the SHW Act so that they can further make the primary stakeholders (unorganized sector women) at large. The justice workers were extremely benefitted from the trainings and have expressed their desire for more elaborate trainings on the law of sexual harassment at workplace. read more…
Right to Education
The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) seeks to ensure quality education to all children in India.
MARG’s project ‘Legal Empowerment of Local Stakeholders in Odisha to Increase Access to the Right to Education’ focuses on the development of legal empowerment skills and tools. Supported by Oxfam India, this project has worked at 3 levels: (i) community empowerment, particularly through development of a cadre of community justice workers i.e. community members trained on legal empowerment strategies (ii) institutional linkages (iii) development of legal literacy materials. read more…
Deepening Diversity and Addressing Racial Discrimination and Sexual Violence in North Eastern States and Delhi NCR
This project started in February 2016 Through this project MARG in collaboration with Control Arms Foundation of India, with the support from the European Union is working on Deepening diversity and addressing racial discrimination and sexual violence in North eastern States and Delhi NCR. This project envisages to build legal capacity of CSO, local authorities, networks so that they are between equipped to handle issues of discrimination and sexual violence. Further this project also seeks to create awareness among the community on these issues especially to stop discrimination that people from North Eastern states face in other states. Through this project MARG intervenes in cases of racial discrimination and sexual violence faced by the community and facilitates the survivors to justice. In India even though we have ratified ICERD (International Convention against all kinds of Racial Discrimination) in 1968, yet there have been rare instances where it is accepted that racism is existing , however in reality discrimination based on race , region and tribe is rampant in different walks of life. MARG is also collaborating with the State Legal Services Authorities in the project states and trying to build linkages between the community and the formal justice system
So far around 140 activists, students and CBO members have been legally capacitated in the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Delhi.
Legal Empowerment of Transgender People in Selected States in India
August 2016-April 2017
This project was on Legal Empowerment of Transgender people in selected states. This project envisaged to provide legal capacity building training to transgender people in some selected states. Around 80 transgender persons were provided legal training on Rule of law, fundamental rights, criminal justice system, Sexual offences, Supreme Court Judgement on rights of transgender people. A documentary film on rights of transgender people called “Equal Citizens Equal Rights” was developed which focused on the issues faced by the community vis-à-vis the rights and redress available to them against such violations. Another short film called “ My Gender My Choice: My Rights” to raise awareness on the rights of transgender community and senstise the public at large about the issue is also developed. The project was supported by British High Commission in NEW Delhi.
Need Assessment Study of 7 State Legal Services Authorities in India
MARG has conducted a needs assessment of the functioning of Legal Services Authorities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The needs assessment of the Legal Services Authorities at the State, District and Taluka levels will be studied in terms of their three main functions (i) legal aid (ii) legal awareness (iii) alternative dispute resolution through Lok Adalats. Recommendations for improvement of the functioning of these institutions will be done based on the findings of the need-assessment.
This study was conducted under the auspices of UNDP, GoI and NALSA.
Creating Safer Cities for Women and Girls: A Study of Functioning and Experience of Delhi Police Helplines
MARG-JAGORI project supported by UN Women and UN Habitat has conducted a research study on the ‘role of police helpline in providing safety to the women at public places’. The study started from 1st August 2012 and ended on 30th November 2012. During this period, the study has closely observed the functioning of the Police Helpline in Delhi. The purpose of the study is to specifically understand women’s experience at public spaces regarding safety and response system of police helplines and how police helplines can be strengthened to facilitate relief and provide support. read more…
Institutional Support for Muslim Women
The institutional support for Muslim women has been taken into consideration for analysis. In this research study, an analysis will be made to understand the point of view of Muslim women to get institutional support and how could institutions like National Minority Commission or National Commission for Women etc be made useful to them in resolving issues which combines both factors minority as well as women.”