The Law and Society Trust is a non-profit making body in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 that was set up in Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

 in 1982. The activities of the trust concerns with improving public awareness on civil and political rights; social, economic and cultural rights and equal access to justice. The Trust is a member organization of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development is a membership-based human rights organization "committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights including the right to development". They were founded in 1991 in Manila, and are now based in Geneva, Switzerland. Their Secretariat...

 (FORUM-ASIA).

Mission

The Trust is concerned with the consideration and improvement of professional skills within the legal community. The Law and Society Trust has taken a leading role in promoting co-operation between government and society within South Asia on questions relating to human rights, democracy and minority protection and has participated in initiatives to develop a global intellectual and policy agenda.

Activities

The Trust designs activities and programmes, and commissions studies and publications, which have attempted to make the law play a more meaningful role within society. The Trust also utilises law as a resource in the battle against underdevelopment and poverty, and is involved in the organization of a series of programmes to improve access to the mechanisms of justice, as well as programmes aimed at members of the legal community, to use law as a tool for social change. These include publications, workshops, seminars and symposia.

Library

The Law and Socirty Trust Library, with a collection of more than 7,250 books, also includes a substantial collection of periodicals, papers related to workshops, seminars and conferences, as well as the Trust's own publications. There are approximately 50 periodicals on display, most of which are received in exchange for the LST Review.

See also

• Dr.Nissanka Wijeyeratne - Founder Chairman of The Law and Society Trust
• Neelan Tiruchelvam - Founder and Director of the The Law and Society Trust