The Women’s Legal Fund (WLF) is a cross-cutting program of WLB which aims to strengthen women’s access to justice for a range of violations of women’s human rights. WLF promotes feminist legal advocacy, practice and methods that proceeds from women’s rights norms and standards and an understanding and recognition of the intersectionality of discrimination women experience.
WLF is a support mechanism for women seeking redress for human rights violations, and as such puts women’s lives and the realities they face as the core basis of its services. Women face practical and legal difficulties in accessing justice for violations committed against them; and for many, redress is not limited to judicial access and recourse. An institutional and strategic approach to women’s access to justice is needed. WLB has adopted responses that over the years proved to be of continuing relevance to these challenges.
WLF uses a range of strategies, which include
- creation of a referral network of legal advocates
- capacity building of law students, lawyers, paralegals, and young feminists on human rights and feminist legal advocacy
- conduct of research on issues of jurisprudence and building case law in connection with, but not limited to the cases received or addressed
- legal services and legal and legislative advocacy work in connection with, but not limited to the cases received or addressed
