Law & Society Trust

About us

The Law & Society Trust (LST) is a not for profit organization engaged in human rights documentation, legal research and advocacy founded in 1982 and based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Our Goals are the promotion of legal reforms for access to justice, justiciability of rights, and public accountability. Our aim is to use rights based strategies in research, documentation and advocacy in order to promote and protect human rights, enhance public accountability and respect for the rule of law. Some of our main activities include legal empowerment, capacity building of communities in the former war zones publications, rights awareness raising, monitoring, documentation of human rights, dissemination of information to the general public, networking & coalition building at a national and international level.

The Information and Documentation Unit, which is open to the public, can be described as one of Sri Lanka´s extensive collections of materials on Law and Human Rights. The LST library consists of approximately 8,500 volumes of books, includes a rare collection of early Sri Lankan Legal literature as well as contemporary archival material,
Since 1993 LST has published the Sri Lanka: State of Human Rights, which is an annual survey of human rights issues, drawing contributors from across the human rights community.

Our monthly publication, the LST Review, which has appeared without interruption since 1990, is a journal of legal education pertaining to topical legal matters and human rights issues.

Programmes:
• Civil & Political Rights Programme: The aim of this Programme is to ensure that civil and political rights, formally established in national and international law, are respected in fact and able to be enjoyed by average citizens in Sri Lanka. The research has a specific relationship to ´law in practice´ and legal advocacy in order to enable an infusion of practical legal knowledge into the research with the objective of building bridges between academic research and practical initiatives/developments in the legal system. The Programme attempts to engage particularly in practical advocacy with people at the grass roots level on whom the violation of rights impacts the most.
• The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Programme: The ESCR Programme promotes awareness and respect for a range of economic, social and cultural rights; and their protection through advocacy on reform of laws, policies and institutions. Its strategies include fact-finding and documentation, and research and analysis, using publications and public forums; strengthening civil society networks and coalitions at national and regional-level, and direct action through public protests and solidarity initiatives.
• Human Rights in Conflict Programme: The Human Rights in Conflict Programme engages in research, analysis, documentation, advocacy, activism and training along with other partners in order to influence decision makers.

Projects:
• The Northern Muslims Project: The Law & Society Trust together with 3 northern Muslim partner organizations set up a Citizens´ Commission to investigate the expulsion of Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE in October 1990.
• Land Project: The Objectives of the Land Project are: 1. Formulate land laws and policies based on Justice; 2. Promoting development with equity using the Human Rights Based Approach; 3. Strengthen community level organizations and activists to advocate for the immediate restoration of land rights, homes and basic services to people who were displaced in the war.

Mala Liyanage is the Executive Director of the Law & Society Trust (LST).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.