In Bangladesh, USAID Cuts Force Women’s Program to ‘Reimagine What’s Possible’
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Our Rule of Law Program advances effective, accessible, and inclusive justice by fostering transparent and accountable relationships between people and governments.
Introduction
Work that Changes and Improves Lives
We focus on removing barriers and promoting inclusion to help build societies grounded in fairness and accountability.
Our work includes:
- Expanding access to justice for marginalized and underserved communities.
- Promoting open governance through stronger transparency and accountability.
- Reforming public institutions to build trust and responsiveness.
- Empowering women by improving access to information and public participation.
- Advancing gender equality and inclusion in law and governance.
By increasing access to information and justice, we empower people to participate in government and influence decisions that affect their lives.
Our Objectives
The Rule of Law Program supports governments and civil society organizations to achieve two complementary strategic objectives in pursuit of our overall goal.
- Equipping people to pursue access to justice
- Advancing government accountability and transparency
REAL LIVES, REAL CHANGE
How Data Changes Lives in Sierra Leone
No matter where they live, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence fear speaking out about what happened to them, leading some to believe it’s not a problem in their community.
But it’s happening everywhere, especially in Sierra Leone, where the issue was declared a national emergency in 2019.
To make a difference, The Carter Center worked with the nonprofit organization Rainbo Initiative and the Sierra Leone police to develop shared tools for reporting and tracking cases. The Center also supported Rainbo in creating a public dashboard for their website to increase awareness of the problem and show what can be done to prevent it.
Now people can see if the government is allocating adequate resources to stop gender-based violence.
“Survivors can hold us accountable,” said Daniel Kettor, director of the Rainbo Initiative.
Priorities & Projects
Results & Milestones
- We collaborated with Sierra Leone’s Justice Sector Coordination Office to help implement the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act of 2022 within the justice sector.
- In partnership with Costa Rica’s National Police Academy, we helped develop a two-week training on human rights and gender in police forces, certifying 21 instructors to continue teaching the course, which is now required in order to graduate.
- Our survey of Atlanta-area residents found strong support for alternatives to arrest, including unarmed responses, expanded services, and public funding.
- In Guatemala, we convened and trained four Youth Observatories to conduct social audits and develop reports on important issues in their communities.
- To enhance trust in Liberia’s law enforcement, we developed and implemented accountability mechanisms to help citizens report abuses of power, bribery, and corruption.
- Freedom of information requests response rates increased from 37% to 67% in Liberia thanks to Carter Center efforts.
- We conducted studies on women’s access to information in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, which were used to promote equitable access to information.
- Government officials in Bangladesh grew more effective in providing women with equitable access to information, indicated by a 97% response rate to public information requests.
Spotlight on Rule of Law
Global Impact Starts with You
Your support sustains the Carter Center's mission of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope around the world.
