Udaipur: The legal profession is widely regarded as a challenging field. Without a family background in law, an established client base, or a strong mentor, it can be difficult to build a career in advocacy, even for those who graduate with top marks from university. Many young law graduates, after one or two years of intense struggle, often find themselves unable to earn a living and are compelled to abandon the profession in favor of seeking employment or starting their own businesses.

Now, imagine how much more difficult this path is for women, particularly those from marginalized communities such as Dalits, Adivasis, or minorities. For these young women, establishing themselves as advocates is an especially daunting task. However, there is a positive development: in western and southern Rajasthan, several young women from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds are now making strides in the field of law and advocacy.

Through the Women for Justice Fellowship Program, organized by Aajeevika Bureau, 40 female law graduates from 10 districts of Rajasthan are receiving in-depth knowledge on legal intricacies, procedural law, and various socio-legal issues such as atrocities, sexual harassment, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), domestic violence, labor, and land rights. These women hail from districts like Udaipur, Salumbar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Jodhpur, Barmer, and Jaisalmer.

This program is a collaborative effort of the Labourline, Aajeevika Bureau, and the Government of Rajasthan.

Santosh Poonia, the Program Manager at Aajeevika Bureau, shared detailed insights about this unique fellowship scheme with The Mooknayak. The fellowship, which commenced in September 2023, is a pioneering initiative aimed at empowering marginalized women in the legal profession. Santosh explains, "We launched this fellowship on an experimental basis, selecting only 40 candidates. The training for the first batch of 22 girls began in September 2023, while the second batch's training started in February 2024. The first batch has already undergone nearly a year of training, and we are thrilled with the transformation in these young women. All of them belong to SC/ST and minority communities, and they are now eager to confidently embrace advocacy as their permanent profession."

The fellowship's primary goal is not merely to mould the candidates into social advocates but to equip them with the necessary professional skills to establish themselves as competent advocates. This will enable them to not only achieve personal success but also contribute meaningfully to society. The program also includes perspective building, where the participants are educated on sensitive social issues such as caste and gender, sexuality, and women's and children's rights—topics that are often overlooked in mainstream discussions.

Challenges Faced by Law Graduates

Santosh elaborates on the challenges young law graduates face when they start practicing in courts, often under the mentorship of senior lawyers. Unfortunately, these young graduates usually do not earn any income during this period. Senior lawyers typically utilize their services without offering any remuneration, viewing them as inexperienced novices. This lack of income leads to frustration, especially when they are unable to cover even their daily travel expenses. Consequently, many are forced to seek jobs to support their families, abandoning their legal careers.

The women selected for the fellowship were in similar predicaments. Most of them come from low-income families and had to rely on financial support from their fathers or husbands to continue their legal practice.

Mehvish Khan, the executive of the program, adds that some of these women have personally experienced domestic violence or divorce trauma, which motivated them to study law to fight their own cases. "When they saw that their advocates were only taking money from them without making significant progress in their cases, they decided to learn law themselves to advocate for their own rights," she says.

Monthly Stipend and Training Support

Aajeevika Bureau's two-year fellowship program offers not only online and offline training but also financial assistance in the form of a monthly stipend of INR 7,000. This stipend is designed to help the selected candidates cover essential expenses such as transportation, books, and stationery, ensuring they don't need to rely on their families for financial support.

With this fellowship, these young women are now attending court regularly in their respective districts and have started taking a greater interest in their work after gaining a deeper understanding of legal intricacies through their training.

The fellowship also connects them with senior advocates for mentorship, giving them exposure to a variety of cases and expanding their knowledge base. As a result, they have begun to secure small assignments on their own.

Mehvish Khan shares that the year-long training course has yielded significant positive results, particularly among candidates from tribal and SC communities. She recalls that when they were first selected, many of these women were hesitant to even introduce themselves. However, after participating in motivational classes and lectures from experts, engaging in discussions, and regularly attending Aajeevika's community programs, they now exhibit a noticeable boost in confidence.

A key benefit of this fellowship program is the sense of mutual support that has developed among the 40 women. Previously, when these candidates had to travel to distant centers for exams like the RJS (Rajasthan Judicial Service) or other recruitment tests, their families were often reluctant to let them go alone. Now, with four or five of them willing to travel together, their families are more at ease.

Structured Learning and Assessments

The fellowship includes two to three online classes per month, usually held in the evening. Subject matter experts provide training on various topics, and regular assessments are conducted to gauge how much the participants have learned from these sessions. There is an offline session once in three months where all the participants gather at Udaipur for a brainstorming event. These activities help the program organizers understand the candidates' needs and their level of knowledge acquisition. Additionally, as part of the program, the candidates were taken to New Delhi, where they had the opportunity to learn important insights from legal experts.

Voices from the Fellowship:

Laliteshwari from Udaipur shares her experience, saying, "During the training sessions organized as part of this fellowship, I learned a great deal about how to raise a voice against the atrocities faced by women and how to make oppressed women aware of the injustices and pressures they endure. After these training sessions, I realized how crucial it is for women to be informed about women's justice, and that every woman should have some knowledge of the law."

Monika Damor from Banswara reflects on her journey, noting, "The training provided during the fellowship gave me valuable insights into the legal provisions related to the protection of women from violence and the remedies available. Even though I studied law, I didn't learn as much as I did during this fellowship. The subject experts in the online classes cleared many of my doubts on various topics. With the knowledge I've gained here, I will not only become self-reliant but also strive to utilise my knowledge for the betterment of my tribal sisters."

Leela Meena from Udaipur talks about the boost in her confidence, stating, "After joining this fellowship, I gained confidence in myself. I used to feel nervous about going to court, unsure if I could speak up or present my case effectively before the court. But now I think, if others can do it, why can't I? Through the training sessions in this fellowship program, I have learned how a woman can approach the court to fight for her rights and how she can advocate for others. This understanding has given me the strength to move forward."