Results of the study on legal aid to vulnerable groups

On December 7, 2017, a press conference was held in Almaty on the results of a study on the "Improving the Legal Aid System for Vulnerable Groups in Kazakhstan" project implemented by the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia in partnership with the Taldykorgan Human Rights Center with the support of the European Union.

The study was conducted in seven oblasts of Kazakhstan -- Almaty, West Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Karaganda, Pavlodar, South Kazakhstan, and East Kazakhstan -- and was aimed at identifying and analyzing existing barriers for state-guaranteed legal aid to socially vulnerable groups (women in difficult situations, minors, graduates of orphanages, convicts).

For example, according to the survey, 65% of women believe that a difficult life situation is a manifestation of violence by a husband or cohabitant. More than half of the surveyed graduates of orphanages (55%) noted that they need free legal advice from a lawyer on housing, pensions, benefits, and inheritance. The study revealed that the majority of convicts (62%) need to resolve various legal issues while in prison.

"The right to qualified legal assistance is fundamental. It is important that qualified legal assistance is available absolutely for all categories of citizens, including for vulnerable segments of the population. Having worked with vulnerable groups for several years, I am faced with the imperfection of the existing system of the State Social Policy Group. It was important for us to study the situation of barriers preventing access to justice for vulnerable groups of the population and to understand how much they need such help," said Victor Ten, director of the  Taldykorgan Human Rights Center.

The main objective of the project is to improve the mechanisms and practices of protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly when they are involved in the criminal and civil justice system through improving the quality and access to state-guaranteed legal aid (SSP).