Introduction to Legal Awareness / Literacy in Society
- Did you know how being educated legally can lead to empowerment about your rights and duties in a society?
- Are you aware of some of the rights you possess as an individual, which cannot be taken away from you by the police or the government?
- Have you always had to be dependent on attorneys and legal experts to help you with the most minor legal issues?
Every society looking to develop its citizenry should invest in imparting legal education and awareness right from school. Just like we train young students about the basics of our history, culture, and technical studies, so too should we make them understand legal issues.
Let us point out at the very outset, that we are not asking everyone to get a legal degree. On the contrary, what we are asking people to do is be aware of the legal system in which they are living.
In this article, we speak to a leading criminal attorney and ask him about why societies should invest in imparting legal education and awareness.
Advantages of Creating a Legally Aware Society
1. Leads to Empowerment
According to constitutional experts, an individual that is legally aware and educated is more empowered. In other words, experts state that legal awareness can lead to an empowered citizenry.
This makes people become less gullible to being getting manipulated by other individuals, government entities, and private players and organizations.
2. Understanding of Basic Human Rights
A legally aware person is more likely to be aware of his or her rights, which have been given to them by the constitutional law of the land.
This will help weed out corruption and allow citizens to engage with the authorities on a much more equal footing. Being unaware gives rise to fear, and this fear, in turn, leads to authorities manipulating common individuals.
3. Professional Development of the Individual
Governments take out several schemes, benefits, loans, and other incentives for normal citizens. This holds true for students (scholarships) to retired citizens, who can benefit from the same.
It also leads to the elimination of touts who demand hefty fees just to file paperwork and foster the enabling process. Business loans, scholarships, and offers can be beneficial in a major way.
It is important to understand that the terminology of law can be a bit on the complicated side. This can prevent normal individuals from understanding the real meaning and get clarity on the same.
It is important that writing content for a law firm is simple, understandable and communicates in a manner that is able to boost legal awareness and literacy in this domain.
4. Weeding out Corruption
A simple thing like getting a driver’s license might become a far more expensive proposition for an unaware person than it would be for an aware one.
Touts, government officials, and other stakeholders are always on the lookout for simple and uninformed individuals who can be coerced into paying a bribe. Being aware makes you do things yourself, without taking the help.
Can Individuals become Legally Aware?
According to experts, the state and government should invest in strengthening the scope of the subject ‘Civics’, which is being taught in schools. Several leading educational boards are also experimenting with creating an entirely new subject – Legal Studies at senior classes.
If you are an adult, who is looking to become much more legally aware, you can always use the internet to boost your knowledge. By following the blogs, YouTube videos, and other pieces of content of good lawyers and law firms, you can pick up on some of the basics soon enough.
You can also take help from books, journals, and the daily newspaper to ensure you are up-to-date with whatever is happing in this world.
Legal awareness is not going to come overnight. However, you can start by picking up the basics like fundamental rights, government regulations, and so on.
The Final Word
There is no doubt that legal awareness and literacy can help build a far more confident and empowered community. By following some of the tips in the article, you too can help build a legally aware and literate community. However, experts point out that in the event of lawsuits, you should work with a trained and professional lawyer.
