Document PB-AAK-021

YJC is one of the numerous grantees of the USAID Promoting the Rule of Law Project (PRLP), which aims to promote policy advocacy around rule of law and women's rights issues. The project grants center on Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon State, Bago Region, and Hlaing Tharyar Township in Yangon Region. In 2014, a 16-year-old boy named Ye M. was detained in a jail cell outside downtown Yangon on a theft charge. Ye was being held with adult men, and he had no idea when he would be released. Fortunately, his parents learned about the newly established branch of YJC through a friend, and attorney U Kyaw Thay Lwin was assigned to his case. During the interview, Ye revealed that he was only 16, but had been charged as an adult. U Kyaw Thay Lwin compiled proof of Ye's age and presented it to the judge, who re-classified the case and released Ye on bail pending trial in juvenile court. Hlaing Tharyar, where Ye resides, is an industrial zone outside Yangon with a growing population and increasing homelessness and crime. The local court is congested, with judges presiding over as many as 30 hearings a day. Many citizens in Myanmar still do not know the law and their rights, and the country does not guarantee free counsel for indigent defendants. Safeguarding justice for people like Ye falls on a small number of pro bono lawyers, paralegals, and legal aid NGOs like YJC, which operates with support from the USAID PRLP. YJC's new branch office in Hlaing Tharyar has made a significant impact in the area. A team of YJC lawyers and paralegals makes the rounds of police stations and receives case referrals, taking on over 60 pro bono cases in the first two months of operation. The nearby court is a pilot court of the PRLP program, which has helped YJC build trust with the courts, prosecutors, and police. This trust has allowed YJC to be effective in representing their clients involved in the justice system.