Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) - Tanzania
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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 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.
Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC)
| About WLAC | WLAC is a non-profit and non-government organisation (NGO) that works to empower women to attain their rights and to improve vulnerable population’s access to justice across Tanzania. WLAC works to promote access to justice and advocate for gender responsive policies for women and children. WLAC operates in Tanzania since 1989 through four Units: Legal aid, Advocacy and Networking, Paralegal training and Outreach, and publication & documentation. Although the organization focuses on inheritance rights and gender-based violence, all issues related to gender are addressed within WLAC’s work. |
| Services Provided | Legal Aid: WLAC handles a wide range of legal issues including matrimonial, land and inheritance, refugee, child maintenance, child custody, labour, rape, insurance and defamation. WLAC also provides services related to reconciliation, client coaching, case follow-up, in-court representation, document drafting, legal and human rights education Advocacy and Networking: WLAC’s networks and collaborates with like-minded organizations, to strengthen its capacity to improve women and children’s access to justice and strengthen gender equality in Tanzania. Paralegal Training and Outreach: WLAC offers a variety of programs to provide both legal professionals and members of the community with capacity training and learning opportunities. Publication and Documentation: WLAC conducts research and publishes informational materials to help raise the public’s awareness of women and children’s rights. |
| Does a Woman need to pay for WLAC Services? | WLAC legal services are free for indigent needy women; a team of registered lawyers are volunteering to support them |
| Public Events | WLAC has annual meetings every forth week of May |
| Contact details | The Women’s Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) |