The UN High Commissioner for Refugees' regional representative Hasim Utkan said Wednesday the center at Ban Mae Nai Soi camp in north-western Thailand is the first of seven planned centers.
The agency says more than 350 serious crimes were reported in Thai refugees camps since 2003, with rape and domestic violence the most common.
It says the perpetrators of the violence are rarely arrested.
The refugee agency says its new legal assistance centers will help to direct cases to the Thai justice system and help improve the refugees' traditional justice system.
The refugee camps are run by the Thai government, and UN officials are not allowed in the camps overnight when many of the violent crimes occur.
Information for this report is provided by UNHCR and UN News
