Jan 06, Hatton: Sri Lanka government has opened an institution in Hatton, to provide free legal assistance for low income families and for children and women who had been subjected to rape and other abuses.

The new institution has been setup as a part of the “Equal Access to Law for All” project launched under the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration.

The institution provides pro bono legal assistance and represents the victims at courts for the families who earn less than Rs.6,000 as monthly income. In addition, the institution will represent female and child victims of rape and other abuses at courts free of charge. The Institution will also assist women who suffer injustice at divorce cases.

The institution will not provide any legal assistance for any member of low income families who are involved with drug trafficking, rape or child abuses. Further, the institution is to organize legal awareness programs for school children on child protection laws, and ways to protect themselves against abuses.