Legal assistance and case follow-through for mothers held for years without resolution, the single largest cause of prolonged family separation.
Most women in Philippine jails have not been convicted of anything. They are awaiting trial. Detention that is legally provisional becomes, in practice, a sentence served by the whole family while the case sits.
LAYA works on that specific bottleneck: paralegal screening, coordination with counsel, help assembling the documents a case needs to move, and accompaniment through hearings. Shortening a case does more for a child than any distribution event can.
What the programme delivers
- Paralegal screening and case-status review
- Coordination with counsel and public attorneys
- Documentary assistance and court accompaniment
- Advocacy for non-custodial measures for mothers who are sole caregivers
Why case delay is a children's issue
Around 70% of people in Philippine jails have not completed trial, and the average time in detention before a case is resolved in Metro Manila is roughly 529 days.2,15 The United Nations Bangkok Rules recommend that non-custodial measures be preferred where possible for a pregnant woman or a child's sole or primary caregiver.6
Shortening a case does more for a child than any single distribution can. Read the reasoning in full.