The Human Rights program aims to empower rural communities of Panama Este and the Darien Province of Panama to overcome obstacles that impede access to justice through legal counsel and educational workshops. By mobilizing student volunteers to connect with these communities on a family-by-family basis, the team intends to develop a sustainable legal support system in the region to decrease the number of unresolved legal cases over time.
Currently, the region suffers from a lack of familiarity of legal procedures, an over-reliance on verbal agreements and poor record keeping; this results in a high number of unresolved legal cases in Global Brigades communities. In order to mitigate the effects of these barriers to justice, the Human Rights program has four main brigade activities: legal clinics, family law cases, educational workshops, and civic engagement and empowerment.
These components respond to the communities´ need for accessible legal resources, knowledge of legal procedures, and a bridge between customary practices and state legal procedures. By addressing these needs, the program will arm the communities with the tools to overcome barriers to justice and leave them with a culture of legal consciousness.