Legal Advice on TV
I've spent the past week diving into extradition agreements between Kosovo and various other countries. While different agreements tend to have similar or even identical language, it has been interesting to see where differences do exist and take note of those details for my eventual report. While discussing my project with Anton, he pointed out that many of the countries that currently have extradition agreements with Kosovo are also countries with high Kosovar diaspora populations, so that's another factor in Kosovo's extradition situation, in addition to its newness and lack of recognition from some countries.
Meanwhile, I wanted to share a bit about another aspect of CLARD's work that I have learned about but have not discussed here yet: their TV show. The show is called "Këshilla Juridike," which is Albanian for "Legal Advice." Anton hosts the show, which is filmed live on Wednesday evenings and airs on public television. The show has been running for six years, and according to Anton, it is the only show of its kind in the Balkans.
Each episode, Anton features a guest co-host, usually a young lawyer. A topic is selected for each episode, and Anton and his co-host start the episode by discussing the legal procedures of that topic. Recent topics have included property rights, child custody, and Kosovo's new domestic violence law, which is what I researched during my previous project. After a brief discussion on the selected topic, Anton and his co-host spend most of the show's time slot answering questions from callers. The questions can be on any legal topic, related to the episode's discussion or not. They receive a lot of questions, but because the show only lasts 35 minutes, they cannot always get to all of them. However, they try to answer as many as possible.
When Anton talked to me about the show, he explained why this show is so important. He said that people need to know their rights, and furthermore that they need to know more than what they may be able to read about the law in a Google search. This show gives people a chance to hear lawyers explain complicated legal concepts and answer questions about how to approach specific issues. Being on public television makes the show accessible to a wide audience, and judging by how many calls the show receives, a lot of people seem to be tuning in for legal advice.
In addition to the show, CLARD has used public television to run an ad about domestic violence. My coworkers told me that ad spots on public television can be difficult to get, so they were very happy to be able to get one for their campaign. Like the show, the ad should reach a wide audience and ensure that people know their rights and have access to resources in cases of domestic violence.
It has been fascinating to learn about the ways in which CLARD has been using television as a tool to promote access to justice. I look forward to seeing what else I will learn during my final two weeks here in Kosovo.