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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.

angle-left Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC)

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)
WLAC Building Kinondoni Hananasif Area
Lang’ata Street (near Lang'ata Inn)
P.O. Box 79212
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel.: +255-22-2664051
Email: wlac@wlac.or.tz
website: www.wlac.or.tz

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