IMP LEMENTATIO N C AS E ST U DY After the 2008 Bangladesh High Court decision confirming the citizenship of the Bihari community, the government gave national ID cards to most Bihari people. However, when Bihari people bring their ID to service providers they are sometimes told “you aren’t a citizen; your ID isn’t valid and you aren’t eligible for this service.” Paralegals from local NGO Council of Minorities have found that clients seeking trade licenses and passports often experience this, and occasionally those opening bank accounts do as well. Paralegals now take on cases to assist clients in using their ID and citizenship documents to access these rights and services. In some contexts paralegals may not be able to give advice on legal action. Be clear about the content of any potential advice, and the qualifications that may be required of those who give such advice. Generally giving advice on administrative processes such as to how to make legal applications or introduce appeals will not be restricted to lawyers or give your project any legal responsibility for the results. Making sure clients make all decisions regarding legal proceedings themselves will protect projects and is an essential part of an empowerment approach. To be sure you are sharing accurate, current information, monitor legal and policy changes, court decisions, and international developments in order to keep communities informed of laws and processes that may affect them. How to ensure that information empowers clients •P  aralegals should check that information given has been fully understood and can be used by the community. This might involve practicing with role-plays or giving quizzes during workshops. • Using rights-based language. • Involve former clients with successful cases in information-giving sessions, whether in person or through video testimonies. Real life examples will encourage individuals in attempting processes themselves. •D  o not lecture clients or communities: approach workshops or rights trainings as a process of mutual sharing. Participants can provide crucial information about their own experiences that help paralegal projects improve. •A  sk questions to encourage clients to think about the information shared and how it can be used. •D  eliver all information in as simple a way as possible, particularly when complex procedures or laws are involved, and provide written materials as reminders of the information shared. •H  ave people commit to helping a specific number of other people by sharing the information they now have. You can ask people to raise their hand if they know two people they can help with the information they have learned. •M  onitor the results of information sharing. When following up with clients, ask if they remember the information, whether they shared it, and whether the person they told used the information. •A  sk clients about their experiences with government authorities, to increase the project’s knowledge of state practices and problems they faced, and set up a mechanism for paralegals to record that information. Information sharing has value even if your project cannot do anything else for a particular client. Sometimes clients can address their issue themselves with appropriate information. Even if they cannot, and information is the only thing your project has to offer a particular client, 106 | A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y