Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
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Five-year Synthesis Report<br />
Part 1: <strong>Poverty</strong> Trends and Key Themes of <strong>Rural</strong> <strong>Poverty</strong> <strong>Reduction</strong><br />
Forms of legal aid are rather diverse. Most of the communes <strong>in</strong>tegrated legal<br />
communication and dissem<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> village meet<strong>in</strong>gs or organizational meet<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
59<br />
Some communes have conducted mobile legal communication sessions and provided<br />
direct legal aid <strong>to</strong> local residents <strong>in</strong> villages. In Cu Hue, Dak Lak, the justice sec<strong>to</strong>r has<br />
had many forms of legal communication such as news bullet<strong>in</strong>, brochures, coord<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
with <strong>in</strong>formation po<strong>in</strong>ts (funded by DANIDA Adm<strong>in</strong>istrative Reforms Project, implemented<br />
by ActionAid and local partners) <strong>to</strong> answer questions about adm<strong>in</strong>istrative procedures <strong>to</strong><br />
local residents. In addition, the district Judicial Section, <strong>in</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ation with the Farmers’<br />
Union, organized advanced tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g on legal knowledge <strong>to</strong> commune clusters.<br />
The effectiveness of legal aid is limited. Most of the people are not really <strong>in</strong>terested<br />
<strong>in</strong> and proposed their needs for legal aid. The form of legal communication is not lively,<br />
mostly through read<strong>in</strong>g legal documents by local cadres, no visual aid and almost no<br />
illustrative cases. Most local resident <strong>in</strong>terviewed did not have good understand<strong>in</strong>g of<br />
legal <strong>in</strong>formation after attend<strong>in</strong>g communication sessions. The village heads have limited<br />
legal knowledge, so their presentations at village meet<strong>in</strong>gs are often not comprehensive.<br />
There is a “legal bookshelf” at the office of the People’s Committee, but it is not regularly<br />
used by village heads because of their limited educational background and because<br />
they are generally busy and live far from the People’s Committee office. Mounta<strong>in</strong>ous<br />
communes are large and scattered; commune cadres only receive a very low level of<br />
allowances <strong>to</strong> conduct mobile communication. In Luong M<strong>in</strong>h commune (Nghe An), the<br />
commune legal aid and communication committee received an aid package of 200,000-<br />
500,000 VND/legal communication session <strong>in</strong> all villages; meanwhile some villages are<br />
an hour mo<strong>to</strong>rbike drive away from the commune centre; therefore, the plan is a legal<br />
communication session is given <strong>to</strong> a village per a quarter, but <strong>in</strong> fact only a session a<br />
year was held.<br />
The legal aid clubs are not established. Accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> regulations of Programme<br />
135, each commune receives 2 million dong per year <strong>to</strong> establish one legal aid club<br />
and organise mobile legal communication sessions. In reality no commune at the<br />
moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts established the legal aid clubs. The cited reasons are <strong>in</strong>adequate<br />
budget, difficulties <strong>in</strong> mobilis<strong>in</strong>g local cadres and people, lack<strong>in</strong>g detailed <strong>in</strong>structions<br />
from functional agencies and commitment of commune leaders for establishment and<br />
susta<strong>in</strong>ed operation of the clubs.