Badulla: Over a thousand community members participated in the Know Your Neethi Legal Aid and Awareness Camp held on 1st and 2nd August 2025 at the Badulla Cricket Stadium, engaging in two days of legal education, support, and empowerment.

According to European Union, the programme was implemented by the Support to Justice Sector Project (JURE), funded by the European Union and jointly facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Sri Lanka, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice.

The camp served as a platform to promote legal literacy and access to justice, focusing on inclusivity by engaging traditionally underserved populations such as women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and other marginalized groups. This initiative ensured that these groups’ voices were heard and their rights addressed.

The camp encouraged dialogue between community members and institutional representatives, promoting transparency and collaboration in the justice system. By connecting people directly with legal support services, the camp helped reduce barriers to justice, especially in underserved areas. This regional camp is part of the ongoing Know Your Neethi legal awareness campaign, which was recently launched to reach wider audiences through a dynamic hub of legal literacy on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Ambassador Carmen Moreno of the European Union to Sri Lanka emphasized the EU’s commitment to fostering access to justice, stating that building legal literacy empowers people to challenge injustice. Similarly, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Azusa Kubota highlighted access to justice as key to achieving inclusive and sustainable development, expressing hope that the initiative’s success in Badulla would be replicated across the country.

The Know Your Neethi Legal Aid and Awareness Camp is part of JURE’s broader efforts to strengthen the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice, emphasizing that justice should be a right guaranteed for all, not a privilege for the few.