The HRLN West Bengal Unit was established in 2000 primarily to provide legal aid to the prisoners. Over the years, the unit expanded its work and now the focus is also on providing pro bono legal aid to the poor, marginalized, persons with disabilities and socially discriminated sections. A core component of our programmes is engaging people and working in collaboration with grassroots organizations, academics, policy-makers, judiciary, students and activists.

Our main strength is providing legal training on a wide range of rights issues, successful jail cases, UNHCR cases, and good orders for certain PILs. The unit holds the distinctions for filing the first domestic violence case in West Bengal followed by many landmark judgments on the domestic violence. We are playing a lead role in implementing the women welfare legislation.

In the last few years, the unit has successfully partnered with important HIV/AIDS, disability and child rights groups and has established a legal aid network in the state. Partnering with Childline Kolkata, the unit has made successful legal interventions in child labour and

child abuse cases.Our intervention through a PIL forced the state government to establish juvenile justice boards and child welfare committees in most districts.

The unit is also working in close collaboration with the groups working on the implementation of the Right to Information Act in the state and is a member of the West Bengal Right to Information Manch. The unit is a part of Griha Adhikar Manch, a state network of CSOs and social activists working extensively for the rights of the homeless.

The HRLN Basirhat, a sub-unit of West Bengal, was established in 2006 with a mission to prevent trafficking in humans and to protect adolescent girls and young women from being trafficked. The Basirhat unit is located in a trafficking prone area near the Bangladesh border and our members have been successfully intervening in trafficking related issues.

The unit also run a short stay shelter home, Keertika, for ex-prisoners, women in distress and trafficked women with the support of ministry of women and child development.