Access to justice for all will certainly not be ensured due to a chronic culture of impunity in the country, said eminent rights activist Sultana Kamal yesterday.

Sultana Kamal, also former adviser to a caretaker government, urged all human rights activists to be united for upholding people's rights.

She was speaking at the closing session of a national conference titled “Access to Justice for All” in the capital's Bishwo Shahitto Kendro auditorium.

Twenty-eight non-government organisations, working for human rights and providing legal aids to people, organised the two-day conference.

Referring to a study, Sultana said women, who are victims of repression, are not getting justice for a lack of awareness, negligence and corruption of people involved with such cases.

Repression of women is on the rise as relevant cases do not see the light. “It's known to all that everyone will not get access to justice, because the culture of impunity is so chronic here,” she added.

It is a matter of agony that the issue of access to justice for all is still being discussed even after 46 years of independence.

“As per the constitution, everyone is equal in the eye of law, then why everyone will not get access to justice,” she questioned.

Bangladesh is doing well in different international indexes but it could not pass the anti-discrimination act yet, she said. “It means there is a gap between what we are saying and what we are doing.”

Sara Hossain, honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), said, “We have to think how we can work unitedly to protect human rights.”

Khan Md Shahid, chief coordinator of Madaripur Legal Aid Association, Harun-Or-Rashid, chief executive of Light House, Jamil H Chowdhury, executive director of ASD, Mohammad Mohius Sunnah, a retired UN official, spoke at the session. It was moderated by Zakir Hossain, chief executive of Nagarik Uddyog.