GENEVA/ SINGAPORE (January 27, 2010) –
In support of efforts to curb legal abuse across Asia, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) this week launches its second JusticeMakers Fellowship Competition.
The Competition, opening January 27, is open to applicants who have concrete, achievable ideas to promote and foster criminal justice and rule of law initiatives. Each winning Fellow will receive USD5,000 to implement his or her project. The winners will also participate in a week-long intensive training course in Singapore.
The 2008 IBJ JusticeMakers Fellows started a paralegal training program for Filipino prisoners and a juvenile justice program in Pakistan, among other projects. IBJ CEO and founder Karen Tse sees IBJ JusticeMakers Fellows as critical to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens. ¡§We are getting people around the globe working to end torture and ensure legal rights.¡¨
The IBJ JusticeMakers Fellowship Competition is hosted on the IBJ-run website, www.justicemakers.net. Ms. Tse said the website had been integral in ¡§connecting people around the world with the international legal community.¡¨
A panel of judges from various parts of the world will choose seven Fellows from among the applicants. An eighth Fellow will be chosen by a public rating process that allows people registered on www.justicemakers.net to evaluate each proposal.
IBJ will fund the 2010 Asia JusticeMakers Fellowship Competition through an i3 Challenge grant from the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at Singapore Management University.
IBJ has also partnered with the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, KARAPATAN, and the People¡¦s Recovery, Empowerment, and Development Assistance Foundation (PREDA) to facilitate the competition in the Philippines. They will be the primary vehicles for promoting the competition, enabling participation, and providing applicant support in the Philippines.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES TO JUSTICE
IBJ (http://www.ibj.org) is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 with a vision to end torture in the 21st century through justly implementing criminal laws. IBJ¡¦s experience shows that providing legal counsel at the earliest stages of defense can protect the rights of the accused. IBJ¡¦s JusticeMakers program demonstrates the potential market principles have for the human rights sector – that a large number of small investments can spark creativity and potentially be a mechanism for ending torture.
PRESS CONTACT:
Tim Scheu
Phone: +41-22-731-24-41
Cell: +41-78-947-28-85
Email: tscheu@ibj.org
Sanjeewa Liyanage
Phone: +41-22-731-24-41
Cell: +41-76-234-21-34
Email: sliyanage@ibj.org
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