MyJustice is an access to justice programme implemented by the British Council and funded by the European Union. A study of MyJustice in 2016 showed that many people in Myanmar do not report or try to resolve the disputes or injustices they face because they believe that those issues are the consequences of their past life debts and karma. To pay off those past debts and ensure good karma for their next lives, they believe that they need to let things go and endure the pains. This is a belief greatly influenced by Buddhist ethics.
However, according to the findings of a recent study of MyJustice ‘Myanmar Justice Survey 2018’ , belief in fate or karma is less explanatory than preserving social harmony, combined with corruption, abuse and delays, and suspicion of foreign influence. The findings of the study indicate that despite the majority Buddhist culture, just over a third of people believe that injustices depend on fate, whereas 41 percent fully disagree with this statement. Hence, a deeper study is required to understand better to what extent Buddhism influences the values, beliefs, and thoughts of Myanmar people that determine their view of and drive for justice. In light of this, MyJustice seeks, with this preliminary study effort, to contribute towards better understanding about the role of Buddhism in shaping people’s understanding and perspectives towards the concept of justice and how those understanding and perspectives influence their justice-seeking attitudes and behaviors in Myanmar.
Objectives of the assignment: The specific objectives of the assignment are identification of:
- prevailing Buddhists values, beliefs and thoughts that are most relevant to or resonate with ideas of fundamental rights, justice and fairness as well as those that may be in tension with these concepts; and
- potential area for additional research or programming entry points.
MyJustice is therefore inviting applications for a proposal from interested consultants to conduct a preliminary assessment.
Interested applicants should review the ToR/RFP here.
Proposals and CVs along with a budget/costs must be submitted electronically to myjustice@mm.britishcouncil.org no later than 1700 hrs (Myanmar time) on Monday 12 August 2019 . MyJustice will accept applications received at any time up to that date.