The meeting was held within the project “Joint Program for Strengthening National Capacities to Prevent Domestic Violence”,  created by the UN Working Group on Domestic Violence (UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIFEM and WHO) focusing on identifying  priorities of work and exploring area where more coordinated efforts could be exerted in order to improve the effectiveness, hence achieve better results both in terms of attention to the victims of DV and its future prevention.

In this respect a Coordinative Body was established by the national key actors regarding protection of domestic violence with aim to give concerning notes for the Joint Program.

Macedonian Women’s Rights Center – MWRC as a member of this body has an active role in the consultative meetings with the UN Working Group on DV.

Therefore, Macedonian Women’s Rights Center gave several remarks on this meeting for the draft law on free legal aid which is about to be adopted, since the MWRC itself is offering for years now, free legal aid to Macedonian women victims of domestic violence.

Most remarks were referring to the deadlines for receiving free legal aid, covered by paragraphs 20, 21, 22, 23, pointing out that these deadlines must be shorter. This was also backed up with examples coming from the practice.

The general conclusion on this meeting by all the participants was pointing out the support and the benefit of adopting such law, which will offer equal access to all citizens to the institutions of the system. The role of the NGO sector was also stressed in regards to the draft law on free legal aid.

Full text with the remarks of the Macedonian Women’s Right Center is available for download. 

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