On September 21, within the framework of the Justice Initiative Facilitation Fund (JIFF), Oxfam in Vietnam organized a workshop on "sharing experiences on legal support for civil and criminal cases and the implementation of the Law on Legal Aid 2017”.

More than 60 participants attended online, including representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Central Association of Lawyers, lawyers and many organizations who received funding from JIFF.

All 33 initiatives funded by JIFF in phase 1 and phase 2 have conducted activities that contribute to “Increased access to legal advice, support and representation in civil and criminal cases”. Experience from implementing 33 Initiatives shows that:

  • The need for legal support of the people, especially the vulnerable group, is dire and diverse.
  • Although there have been efforts and improvements recently, the number of legal aid personnel is low, unable to meet the needs of communities, especially in remote areas.
  • Some related financial regulations and procedures are complicated, limiting the number of personnel involved in providing legal support to communities.
  • Legal aid initiatives by social organisations have proven effective in contributing to raising people's awareness, providing initial legal advice and connecting and supporting the state's legal aid system. Therefore, it is necessary to continue improving the legal framework so that social organizations can participate more actively and effectively in legal support activities for the people.

Legal assistance is one of the main activities that JIFF grants for justice initiatives, including three forms: Legal advice (Initial legal assistance and advice; help with reconciliation, in-depth legal advice); Representing in and out of proceedings, assisting on activities relating to administrative procedures, complaints, dispute resolution and others; and Defending (participating in the proceedings as a defense counsel).

As of April 2020, 5,596 people have received legal advice, legal support, and representation in court.

The Justice Initiative Facilitation Fund (EU JULE JIFF, or JIFF for short) is one of two components of the project “Strengthening Law and Justice in Vietnam” (EU JULE) funded by the European Union to strengthen the rule of law in Vietnam through a reliable and accessible justice system.