Bahia Judiciary Launches Student Rights Education Project and Dativa Lawyer System

The Tribunal de Justiça da Bahia (TJBA) inaugurated the "Direito de Saber – Aprender Direitos. Construir Futuros" project, targeting public‑school students in Ilhéus and Itabuna. The program, signed into a judicial decree by President Desembargador José Edivaldo Rotondano, aims to teach fundamental rights, civic duties, the functioning of the judiciary and access‑to‑justice mechanisms, with volunteer magistrates, staff and specialists delivering age‑appropriate content. Coordination is handled by the court’s Secretariat of Strategy and Projects, while the Social Action Office manages volunteer recruitment and school partnerships.

On 27 May, the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – Seccional Bahia (OAB‑BA) and the TJ‑BA signed a 60‑month cooperation agreement to deploy the OAB Dativa system across the state judiciary. Developed by OAB‑BA, the electronic platform rotates the appointment of dativo lawyers when a public defender is unavailable, ensuring transparent, objective distribution of cases. OAB‑BA President Daniela Borges said the system will "expand access of the population to qualified technical defense" and praised the partnership as a step toward more efficient justice. System creator Ubirajara Ávila highlighted its decade‑long development and its role in strengthening advocacy rights.