“If you have the knowledge and see a man weak, do not condemn him. Go to his level and help him if you can. He must grow.”- Swami Vivekananda
The Legal Aid Clinic of Vivekananda School of Law and Legal Studies conducted Legal Aid Awareness Drive in the slum areas of Haiderpur village on 9th August 2019 with the assistance of DSLSA.
The aim of the Awareness Drive was to sensitize the residents about the VIPS Legal Aid Clinic in the vicinity of the college campus that provides free legal aid consultations and services to the less privileged.
Before the commencement of the drive, an orientation session was conducted regarding the importance of legal aid and need to empathize and communicate in a medium easily understood by non-legal persons. The PLVs were accompanied by Faculty Co-ordinators for necessary guidance. An advocate was also appointed by the DSLSA to assist in the process.
Volunteers engaged with the locals, distributed pamphlets and wrote down the grievances and contact information of the locals in the community visit questionnaires provided by DSLSA.
It was found that the inhabitants were facing many legal issues such as related to Aadhar cards and Ration cards, denial of school admission to their children, property dispute issues and road accident claims, etc. After hearing and noting down their troubles, the volunteers made them aware of the legal aid facilities available right around the corner and encouraged them to visit the Legal Aid Clinic on any Thursday to get a free legal consultation from an advocate. The faculty members supervised the interactions between the volunteers and the locals and even reached out to converse with and help the locals themselves.
The Legal Aid Awareness Drive was a successful attempt to spread awareness about the Legal Aid Clinic of VIPS. It was undoubtedly an enriching experience for the PLVs as it made them familiar with the ground reality.
