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  • Access to Legal Aid

Quick information guide

The Tanzania Legal Act, 2017 recognises the right of access to legal aid and orients providers to: 

  • Carry out educational programmes in national or local languages on legal issues and procedures of concern to the community;
  • Assist aided persons in the procedures to obtain necessary legal documents;
  • Guide aided person to a proper forum or to access justice; and
  • Advise the conflicting parties to seek amicable settlement or referring them to dispute settlement institutions

Why is legal aid important for women?

Research studies have shown that women in Tanzania are likely to suffer more when it comes to accessing and utilizing legal services compared to men simply because of:

  • Vulnerability: Women are more vulnerable to oppression than men due to socio-economic characters
  • Literacy: Majority of the women are illiterate; this becomes difficult for them to connect with legal aid and express themselves
  • Income: Women are less paid compared to men what disadvantages them when it comes to affording paid legal services
  • Cultural values: Some cultural practices have created in a woman a spirit of underestimation.

This makes it hard for women to fight for their rights.

Women Legal Aid Support Services in Tanzania

The government of Tanzania acknowledges that women have limited access to legal services due to various socio-economic factors.
 
To narrow the gap, some measures such as the development of national strategies and policies to redress gender gaps and inequalities between men and women have been initiated.

The National Strategy for Gender Development (NSGD) aims at guiding all stakeholders to work towards gender equality in a more harmonized manner.

Part four of the Tanzania Legal Aid Act of 2017 gives provisions for legal aid to eligible indent persons such as women and persons in lawful custody. Various NGOs have special programs to provide free legal aid services to needy women.

Legal Human Rights centre (LHRC)

supports women and children in accessing their rights through legal aid, advocacy and awareness creation

Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC)

handles a wide range of legal issues including matrimonial, land and inheritance, child custody, rape, and others

Tanzanian Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA)

Helps women to access legal aid

Department of Legal Aid (DoLA)

regulates the delivery of the legal aid services, facilitates access to justice and provides for other matters related thereto in Zanzibar.

Legal Services Facility (LSF)

strives to increase access to justice for all in general and for women in particular through a legal empowerment approach.

Zanzibar Legal Service Center (ZLSC)

provides legal aid services to the poor, women and children, the disabled, marginalized and other disadvantaged

Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association (ZAFELA)

offers to help women and children facing challenges in the Zanzibar community