Zanzibar Legal Service Center (ZLSC) - Tanzania

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.

About ZLSC	The Zanzibar Legal Services Centre (ZLSC) was established in 1992 as a nongovernmental, voluntary, independent and non – profit Organization aimed at providing legal aid services to the poor, women, and children, the disabled, marginalized and other disadvantaged sections of the Zanzibari society. The Centre also aims to popularize knowledge on the law and to produce publications in all areas of legal concern to the people of Zanzibar. During the 25 years of its existence, the Centre has grown in strength and works tirelessly to achieve its entire major intended aims and objectives in line with the vision and mission of the Centre.
Services Provided	Legal Aid: The Centre provides legal aid in the form of counselling and advice to the poor and those who cannot afford to hire lawyers to handle their legal issues. Legal Education: The Centre is also actively engaged in the provision of legal education to the public in order to raise people’s awareness on their basic rights and civic responsibilities. Legal Research: The Centre also, prides itself on legal research as it undertakes, through conducting, coordinating and commissioning, research on legal issues. The results of the research is disseminated through meetings in which scholars, politicians, stakeholders and people from all walks of life meet to discuss and exchange views.
Associated Costs	All the legal aid provided by the ZLSC, be it purely advisory or litigation, is provided free of charge.
Public Events	The ZLSC is featured in Zanzibar Law Day which commemorated annually in Zanzibar.
Contact details	ZANZIBAR LEGAL SERVICES CENTRE P.O. BOX 3360 ZANZIBAR – TANZANIA Email: info@zlsc.or.tz Phone: +255 24 2233784 Fax: +255 24 2234495 Mobile: +255 777 844543 Website: https://zlsc.or.tz

Zanzibar Legal Service Center (ZLSC) - Tanzania

Quick information guide

Women Legal Aid Support Services in Tanzania

Legal Human Rights centre (LHRC)

Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC)

Tanzanian Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA)

Zanzibar Legal Service Center (ZLSC)

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