The Legal Assistance and Awareness Program

The new Legal Program assists women in navigating the bureaucratic process of extracting official papers (birth certificates, ID cards, social services entitlements, etc), to help women prove their legal existence and support their eligibility for governmental aids and job opportunities.

ADEW discovered through its field work with the FHHs that more than 70% of women don’t have official documents. As a result, those women are deprived of many privileges and rights like enrolling their children in schools, getting medical insurance or formal job opportunities, filing court petitions, and getting electoral cards .

The program counsels women on individual legal questions that they may have, and files court petitions on their behalf. Awareness classes are also held regularly to teach women about their legal rights. Finally, on a macro level, ADEW attempts to increase the awareness of policy-makers and the society, as whole, about women’s legal rights.

The number of beneficiaries of the legal program reached out to 400 thousand in all our field areas, and birth certificates have been issued to 40.000 child.