Enhancing access to justice: free legal aid and client-centered legal counseling through Clinical Legal Education in Uzbekistan

Kamola Alieva

doi:10.47689/2181-1415-vol4-iss4-pp102-113

Kamola Alieva Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD), Act. Associate Professor, Tashkent State University of Law

DOI

https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol4-iss4-pp102-113

Keywords

free legal aid , clinical legal education , people with disabilities , vulnerable groups , client-centered legal counseling

Abstract

This article explores Uzbekistan's recent legal and judicial reforms aimed at fortifying the rule of law, protecting human rights, and enhancing access to justice in alignment with international norms. Reforms include adopting the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, enacting gender equality laws, and introducing digital tools for legal consultations. However, challenges persist, particularly for vulnerable groups like women, rural youth, and people with disabilities, who face limited awareness of their rights and difficulties accessing legal remedies. The article proposes integrating client-centered legal counseling through Clinical Legal Education (CLE) to improve the provision of free legal aid to address this.

Recommendations encompass institutionalizing CLE, incentivizing pro bono work, fostering collaboration with NGOs, utilizing technology for outreach, and implementing legal reform for free legal aid. These measures, alongside robust monitoring and training, promise to democratize access to justice and create a more equitable legal landscape in Uzbekistan. However, challenges persist, particularly for vulnerable groups like women, rural youth, and people with disabilities, who face limited awareness of their rights and difficulties accessing legal remedies. To address this, the article proposes integrating client-centered legal counseling through Clinical Legal Education (CLE) to improve the provision of free legal aid. Recommendations encompass institutionalizing CLE, incentivizing pro bono work, fostering collaboration with NGOs, utilizing technology for outreach, and implementing legal reform for free legal aid. These measures, alongside robust monitoring and training, promise to democratize access to justice and create a more equitable legal landscape in Uzbekistan.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on radio improvement of the system of increasing legal consciousness and legal culture in the society dated 09.01.2019 No. UP-5618 https://lex.uz/docs/4149770

Uzbekistan country insights, Rule of Law Index 2021, https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/country/2021/Uzbekistan

Закон Республики Узбекистан «О гарантиях равных прав и возможностей для женщин и мужчин», №ЗРУ-562 02.09.2019.

http://constitution.uz/ru/pages/gender

Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan ‘On measures to further improve the system of legal assistance and communicate legal information to the population’ https://lex.uz/ru/docs/4500969

Salomov B., ‘BAR in Uzbekistan: current situation and development perspectives’, page109 https://inscience.uz/index.php/socinov/article/view/25/19

Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on measures to greatly improve the efficiency of the institute of bar and expand the independence of lawyers, dated 12.05.2018, No.UP-5441, https://lex.uz/docs/3731058

Fifth periodic report of Uzbekistan to CEDAW https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2fPPRiCAqhKb7yhsifWMG9%2fRtnvoBn3u8H6O%2bYfzWYaYQEH1SI6rsVigoUHWbdXD5utZL3qhbCNZfnON9ujdr6yJHP7WU6oyA%2bJar98bVFVL5zSSuzhS8zwLRt4

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

World Bank's Women, Business and Law 2020 report https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/35094/9781464816529.pdf?sequence=7&isAllowed=y

Sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan to CEDAW https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2fPPRiCAqhKb7yhsvglKm%2f71Q4iogAZSMgJYVs60KRy5crJ6kEiuyr%2bMf3kQZOR7xy6os%2fgfVi6U8SWJzQ3hoasS%2fykjavi39nSZnREZgvg6t9tUEoqTqsmwzXC

List of issues and questions by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concerning the sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2fPPRiCAqhKb7yhsvglKm%2f71Q4iogAZSMgJYVvAJmQU0yQ9i50qVdaljQNEWNP5t9aTSj2To64mkMk3TaVMhsfNVJeREr1YPkyBNYLu89bjBJfAilIMxgEdkpgZ

Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on measures to further strengthen guarantees of labor rights and support for women's entrepreneurship, dated 07.03.2019 г. No. PP-4235 https://lex.uz/ru/docs/4230938

Article ‘Interior Ministry: 14,774 women subjected to repression and violence issued protection orders in 2020’ https://uza.uz/uz/posts/iiv-2020-yilda-tazyiq-va-zoravonlikka-uchragan-14-ming-774-xotin-qizga-himoya-orderi-berildi_236643

https://sud.uz/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/обзор-Зарубежного-Опыта.pdf and https://sud.uz/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Разработка_и_внедрение_гендерных_индикаторов.pdf

Alternative report by 'Civic Initiatives Support Center' (an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council) and 'NIHOL' Initiative's Development and Support to the CEDAW committee Centerhttps://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2fCEDAW%2fNGO%2fUZB%2f44129&Lang=en

Human Rights Council Visit to Uzbekistan Report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers- para 84, https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/44/47/Add.1

Governance as an SDG accelerator, Chapter 6. Governance frameworks to ensure equal access to justice and citizens’ legal empowerment, OECD, https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/cae781ce-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/cae781ce-en

Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on appeals of individuals and legal entities, dated 11.09.2017, No. ZRU-445 https://lex.uz/docs/2509998

Алиева, К. (2021). Гендер тенглигини таъминлаш бўйича мукаммал ҳуқуқий ислоҳотларнинг ўзи етарлими (европа иттифоқи тажрибасига назар)?. Общество и инновации, 2(4/S), 861-869.

Kamola, A. (2022). THE CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE IN UZBEKISTAN: THREAT TO ENSURING GENDER EQUALITY. World Bulletin of Management and Law, 12, 130-134.

Алиева, К. (2022). Вопросы гендерного неравенства в Узбекистане: проблемы реализации доступа к правосудию для женщин, подвергшихся бытовому насилию. Общество и инновации, 3(6/S), 233–249. https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol3-iss6/S-pp233-249

Alieva, K. (2021). Trends In Ensuring Gender Equality: The Practice And Legal Reforms Of Advanced Foreign Countries. The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology, 3(03), 11-20.

Камола Алиева Достаточно ли правовых реформ для обеспечения гендерного равенства (взгляд опыта Европейского Союза)? // ОИИ. 2021. №4/S. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/dostatochno-li-pravovyh-reform-dlya-obespecheniya-gendernogo-ravenstva-vzglyad-opyta-evropeyskogo-soyuza (дата обращения: 30.01.2023).

Alieva Kamola. (2023). GENDER INEQUALITY IN UZBEKISTAN: PROBLEMS OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR WOMEN AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. World Bulletin of Management and Law, 18, 128-134. Retrieved from https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbml/article/view/2061

Downloads

196 153

Published

2023-08-13

How to Cite

Alieva , K. (2023). Enhancing access to justice: free legal aid and client-centered legal counseling through Clinical Legal Education in Uzbekistan. Society and Innovation, 4(4), 102–113. https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol4-iss4-pp102-113