DLA Piper's Tony Angel on why international law firms have huge responsibilities when it comes to pro bono work

Earlier this month I returned from Bangladesh, where I visited the UNICEF-funded child justice projects DLA Piper is supporting to help protect some of the country's most vulnerable children.

As part of a three-year partnership, we are providing the UK Committee for UNICEF with pro bono assistance to the value of $5m (£2.9m) and have pledged to raise a further $1.5m (£873k) for child protection programmes.

The Bangladesh government, with UNICEF's support, has made real progress to improve children's lives by reducing mortality rates, achieving high levels of immunisation and improving girls' access to education. However, it now faces problems that are far more complex and intractable like child labour and child marriage. High levels of extreme poverty continue to push many children onto the streets, where they often get caught up in an inadequate and inappropriate justice system.

With more than 65 million children in Bangladesh, the scale of these challenges is enormous. The projects we are supporting are helping to put in place the legal, social and organisational frameworks that will better protect these children. I saw first-hand what currently happens when children come into contact with the justice system, and frankly it is grim. Despite this, the children I met were remarkable; positive and full of hope despite the hurdles they have had to overcome and the challenges they still face.