Because victims often find it very difficult to disclose information about domestic violence and face intense pressure to stay in abusive relationships, the women who do turn to outside assistance are generally those who have already exhausted their other options. It is vital, therefore, that the information they receive when they do ask for help be concrete and accurate. In response to these conditions, CEELI devised a program which would facilitate the communication of basic information about the rights of domestic violence victims.
The model of the Social Advocates program is similar to projects of other countries which use non-lawyer “legal advocates” or “volunteer advocates” to carry out a range of functions. Such “advocates” assist women in understanding their legal options and in filing appropriate documents, accompany victims to court proceedings, cooperate with local law enforcement bodies and take part in public awareness campaigns. Typically, the roles of such “legal advocates” are strictly delineated since they are not licensed attorneys, and therefore they cannot represent victims of domestic violence in court. A significant difference in the Russian context, however, is that specifics in the legal system of Russia allow non-lawyers to undertake limited types of representation in court.
Nevertheless, the Social Advocates trainings instill in the participants the importance of recognizing when they can offer legal advice to clients and when it is best to seek the assistance of a licensed attorney. An important aspect of the training program is to teach the Social Advocates to make educated decisions about cooperation and consultation with legal professionals, as well as recognize the need for thorough research on unfamiliar legal issues.
Due to the fact that few young lawyers were interested in assisting victims of domestic violence, the social advocates program was designed to educate non-lawyer activists on the basics of administrative, civil, and criminal law. It should be noted, however, that this trend has somewhat changed in recent months and CEELI has seen more and more lawyers working for crisis centers and providing consultations over telephone hotlines. Although this is positive development, few NGOs can afford to hire the services of a trained lawyer and the need for non-lawyer activists will continue to outpace the availability of lawyers for some time to come. In addition, serious structural impediments continue to exist to women who try to access the legal system. Legal reform in the area of domestic violence has been limited, and there is little coordination among law enforcement agencies in the handling of such cases
CEELI remains committed to working with the NGO community as they struggle to promote community coordination to protect women from domestic violence. In the near future, non-lawyers will remain the focus of our assistance, but CEELI will also follow developing trends and work with new members of the legal establishment interested in improving the lives of women.
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