The Center For Rights Education And Awareness (CREAW) - Kenya
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- Access to Legal Aid
Quick information guide
National, Regional and International legal frameworks have provisions on promoting access to justice for all:
- The Constitution, 2010 has rafts of provisions, specifically Articles 10, 48, 50, 159 and 174.
- The Government committed to provide state funded legal aid and education as conduits to enhancing access to justice.
- Kenya developed a robust legal and policy framework aimed at promoting legal aid to expand access to justice to her citizens.
- Existence of a Legal Aid National Action Plan 2017-2022
Key Regional and International frameworks
African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
- Article 8 (a,c and f) Women and men are equal before the law and shall have the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The Charter obliges parties to pay particular attention to women's access to legal aid
Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women
- Article 2(b and c) mandates state parties to adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, to prohibit discrimination against women;
- Article 15(1 and 2) urges state parties to accord to women equality with men before the law;
Accessing Legal Aid in Kenya
The enactment of the National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy, 2015 and the Legal Aid Act 2016, Kenya adopted a collaborative and systemic approach that brings together both state and non-state actors in the delivery of legal aid.
Through the National Legal Aid and Awareness Programme (NALEAP), the Government of Kenya has developed the National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy (NLAAP) which addresses issues pertaining to legal aid and access to justice in the country.
The National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy:
- emphasizes on the need to ensure the right to legal aid as a constitutional right;
- recognizes disparities in provision of legal aid and provides relevant policy directions;
- ensures multi-sectoral approach to addressing poor provision of legal aid in the country; and
- ensures evidence-based planning and resource allocation.
The Center For Rights Education And Awareness (CREAW)
About CREAW | This Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) is a registered, non-profit national women’s rights non-governmental organization. It was founded in 1998 by women lawyers who had common goals and a shared purpose to confront the low awareness of women’s needs and rights in Kenya. |
| Access to justice With the shrinking resources for supporting free legal aid and representation CREAW is prioritizing supporting implementation of the National Legal Aid Act which provides for systems and structures to provide free legal aid and representation Country wide |
Services provided | Leadership and Governance The organization has been at the front line for pushing for the achievement of the 2/3rd gender rule set up by Kenya’s constitution to ensure no sphere of the country’s leadership has more than two thirds of any gender. The organization also goes further to advocate for women leadership in all spheres of society |
| Integrated services for survivors of SGBV In partnerships with local government, police, civil society, religious leaders and the community, CREAW, through our programme “Suluhisho Ni Mimi” (meaning “you are the answer” in Swahili), not only provides services to survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence but also works to strengthen the response of the legal and health systems and sensitize the community to instances of SGBV through advocacy, media. |
| Building healthy communities CREAW invests directly in communities with high rates of sexual and gender based violence to create space for dialogue, which deconstructs patriarchy, and addresses the flawed masculinity and harmful traditional cultural narratives that limit equal opportunities and realization of women’s rights |
Online presence | |
Contacts | Head office Kibera Satellite Office KILIFI OFFICES MERU OFFICES |
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