Updates

Field Story: How a Paralegal Network Changed a Village

By Administrator •
Three years after CHRSD trained the first paralegals in Char Kukri Mukri, land dispute resolution rates have doubled.

Char Kukri Mukri is a river island in the Meghna estuary — home to 12,000 people, most of them fishing families. Until 2022, resolving a land or family dispute meant a day-long boat trip to the district court in Bhola, and often several more trips over months.

Then CHRSD trained the island's first three community paralegals — two women, one man — in the rudiments of family law, land law, and mediation.

Three years on:

  • Formal land disputes filed at district court are down 40%
  • Time to resolution for family disputes has dropped from an average of 8 months to 6 weeks
  • Women's participation in mediation has increased from ~10% to over 60%

The paralegals don't replace formal courts — they screen, mediate where possible, and escalate cases that need judicial intervention. CHRSD's paralegal network now spans 60 sites across the country.

Related Posts