🛡️ GFATM KP Grant – Rights & Legal Support Programme

Siri Mahila Sadhikaraka Welfare Society (SMSWS) implements Rights & Legal Support under the GFATM Key Population (KP) Grant to defend the rights, dignity and legal protections of women in sex work and other key populations. The programme focuses on legal awareness, case support, police engagement, district-level advocacy and setting up legal aid mechanisms to ensure safe access to justice and reduce stigma.

🎯 Programme Objectives

• ⚖️ Increase legal awareness of rights, protections and remedies among key populations
• 🧭 Provide direct legal assistance, referrals and accompaniment for cases
• 👮 Build constructive police interfaces and sensitize law enforcement
• 📣 Advocate at district and judicial levels for policy clarity and access to services
• 🤝 Establish community-based legal aid pathways and linkages to DLSA

📘 Core Legal & Rights Services

• 📚 Legal Literacy Sessions — rights, complaint procedures, FIRs, domestic violence law, relevant Supreme Court judgments
• 🩺 Legal Aid Clinics — on-site clinics with paralegals and visiting lawyers for initial counselling
• 👮 Police Interface Meetings — SI-level sensitisation, joint problem solving and safer community policing
• 📄 Case Support & Referral — documentation, filing complaints, legal representation referrals and accompaniment
• 🏛️ District Advocacy — meetings with DLSA, PMS, collectors and magistrates to resolve systemic barriers
• 🧩 Stigma Reduction — community dialogues, media engagement and awareness campaigns
• 🔒 Confidential Case Handling — secure documentation and trauma-informed support for survivors

🛠️ Implementation Approach

• 📍 Hotspot mapping to identify legally vulnerable communities and service gaps
• 🧑‍🏫 Training paralegals, peer leaders and CFs in basic legal processes and referral protocols
• 🤝 Regular coordination with DLSA, district legal teams and civil society lawyers
• 📆 Scheduling periodic legal camps, mobile clinics and district-level advocacy meetings
• 📋 Maintaining confidential case registers and tracking follow-ups till resolution
• 🔁 Monitoring commitments made by authorities and following up on outcomes

🎨 Tools & Materials

• 📘 Simple illustrated booklets on rights, police process & legal remedies
• 📑 Case referral forms, consent forms and complaint checklists
• 📢 IEC materials for stigma reduction and access-to-justice messaging
• 📸 Documentation templates for evidence, testimony and court accompaniment

🤝 Key Partnerships

• ⚖️ District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) — legal aid and clinic support
• 👮 Police Department — interface meetings and sensitisation
• 🏛️ Judiciary & District Administration — advocacy and policy engagement
• 🎗️ TI NGOs, SAATHII & SMS Bangalore — technical support and coordination
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Community Facilitators & Peer Networks — outreach and accompaniment

📋 Monitoring & Key Indicators

• 🔢 Number of legal literacy sessions and participants
• 📄 Number of legal aid clinics conducted and cases registered
• 👮 Number of police interface meetings and follow-up actions
• ⚖️ Number of cases successfully referred to legal representation or DLSA
• 📈 Reduction in reported stigma incidents and service denial cases
• 📸 Case studies and documentation of systemic changes

🔒 Safeguards & Ethics

• 🔐 Strict confidentiality for survivors and persons seeking legal help
• 🫶 Trauma-informed counselling & survivor-centred support
• ⚖️ Informed consent for documentation and referrals
• 📣 Non-coercive, non-discriminatory assistance at all stages

💰 Indicative Budget Components

• 📚 Legal literacy materials & IEC — ₹2,000–₹8,000 per campaign
• 🧑‍⚖️ Legal camps & paralegal stipends — ₹8,000–₹25,000 per event
• 🚐 Travel & accompaniment costs for court visits — variable
• 📋 Case documentation, referral tracking & admin — monthly operational costs

🗣️ Community Testimonial

“SMSWS helped me approach the police and connected me to legal aid — I felt safe and supported throughout the process.”
– KP Beneficiary

📞 Contact for Rights & Legal Support

Unit: GFATM KP Grant – Rights & Legal Support (SMSWS)
Phone / WhatsApp: +91 939 827 6995
Email: smswscbo995@gmail.com
Next step: Share hotspot locations or case details (confidential) — our legal outreach team will respond and plan support.