Unknown - Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups

Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups

2009 Asian Development Bank

All rights reserved. Published 2009.
Printed in the Philippines.

ISBN 978-971-561-759-8
Publication Stock No. BBK219708

Cataloging-In-Publication Data

Asian Development Bank.

Legal empowerment for women and disadvantaged groups.

Mandaluyong City, Phil.: Asian Development Bank, 2009.

1. Legal Empowerment.2. Women.3. Disadvantaged groups.I. Asian Development Bank.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

This publication is the product of a three-country Asian Development Bank () regional technical assistance initiative on Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups. It reflects the extensive conceptual design, research, and pilot project contributions of a team of legal empowerment specialists and nongovernment organization (NGO) legal service providers convened by The Asia Foundation (TAF), which implemented the project under the overall direction and guidance of Francesco Tornieri, social development specialist, ADB, with support from Roberta Thami, senior counsel, ADB.

ADB extends special thanks to co-team leaders Kim McQuay (Country Representative to Bangladesh) and Debra Ladner (Director of Law Programs) of the Foundation, who provided overall direction and coauthored this report. Research Coordinator Matthew Nelson of the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies led the design and documentation of the monitoring and evaluation framework that guided the implementation and assessment of pilot legal empowerment projects undertaken in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, ably supported by Farouk Chowdhury, Najmul Hossain, Medelina Hendytio, and Farhat Ali Sheikh. Sumaiya Khair, Sulistyowati Irianto, and Farida Shaheed conducted country situation analyses in the three focal countries, with the assistance of Belquis Ahmadi. NGO legal service partners Ain O Shalish Kendra, Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Asosiasi Perempuan Indonesia Untuk Keadilan (LBH-APIK), and Aurat Foundation implemented pilot legal empowerment projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, respectively, with the support of Sheela Tasneem Haq, Hana Satriyo, and Shahid Fiaz of the Foundation and Abu Zayed Mohammad. Reihana Mohideen conducted a pipeline analysis of ADB projects as prospective hosts of future legal empowerment initiatives. Erik Jensen of the Foundation (senior law advisor) and Stanford Law School (codirector of the Rule of Law Program and Senior Research Scholar) provided valued technical advice and guidance at all stages of project design, implementation, and review. The Philippines office of the Foundation provided superb coordination and planning support to ADB counterparts for a Regional Conference on Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups held in Manila in December 2007.

The report benefited from the constructive inputs of Robert J. Dobias, Director of the Gender, Social Development, and Civil Society Division of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department, and Sonomi Tanaka, Principal Social Development Specialist (GAD) of the ADB. Briony Eales edited the report. Aldrin Roco provided production assistance.

Currency Equivalents

(as of 24 September 2008)

Abbreviations

In this report, $ refers to US dollars.