‘Knowledge on laws vital’ better, workshop told

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By ELIZABETH VUVU

THERE is a need for service providers to train people on laws that are already in place so that they work within those laws to help bring about justice.
This was made known by the chairperson of the East New Britain sexual violence and action committee Ruby Matane last week at a week-long para-legal workshop in Kokopo
Matane said people wanted to help those who faced problems but did not  understand the laws properly.
She said great interest was shown by participants who raised issues on the lack of accessibility to justice systems for clients and victims.
Matane, who also coordinated the training, said most victims were afraid to talk and needed to have a clear idea and where to work within the law to achieve positive results.
She said a lot of barriers lied with police officers, who were often the first people that victims sought help from, but sadly, there was not enough help provided which was why the training was aimed to identify and create a referral network to  effectively help clients.
Lawyers from the public solicitor’s office and magistrates gave talks on people’s rights and how to  balance rights and responsibilities.
Matane said there was a need for such training at the  ward level where access to transport was minimal and where more people were being victimised.