Access To Justice
The Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA Kenya) is committed to bridge the gap between the Government and the citizenry, and in particular, the disadvantaged women. Indeed, so much is going on in our society. There is a lot of moral decay, patriarchal norms and practices that discriminate against women. The year 2009 has seen FIDA Kenya step into the gap and partner with the Government and other civil societies to realize its mission. FIDA came up with strategies, as documented in its 2008-2013 Strategic Plan. Apart from receiving only those who visit the legal aid clinics in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, FIDA Kenya has strategically put in place mechanisms to reach out to that indigent woman right at the community level.
Engaging with the Formal Justice System.
FIDA Kenya takes up the files court cases on behalf of the poor and the needy Women.
Engaging with the Informal Justice System.
In the regional offices, where informal justice system are more vibrant, FIDA Kenya assists women to access justice through the existing channels by training the respective bodies on gender and gender related issues.
Public Interest Litigation(PIL)
We anticipate that this will be FIDA’s flag ship. Our intention with this aproach is to engage in high impact litigation whose results change the condition of communities of women as opposed to welfare litigation that target simple persons. This approach is also aimed at making the legal system gender responsive, and in creating precedence or case law, where possible.
Specific Change Objective for PIL: “…to fill in gaps in law, to align domestic laws to internstional standards, and to increase gender sensitivity in our legal system. “
Our intention is to engage with the informal justice sytem in order to make it accessible to the woman who cannot afford the formal system. This aspect will be promoted primarily in our regional offices because the informal justice system is more vibrant at the municipal society level. We expect this to provide quick dispensation of justice at an affordable price.
Specific Change Objective for IJS: “… create voice and space for the indigent women to access justice through the infomal justice system “
Probono Lawyers Scheme
In this scheme was used for purposes of litigation only. We expect to use our pool of probono lawyers more creatively in inter alia, PIL, Mediation and training in self representation.
Specific Change Objective for PS: “…to increase the speed and quality of justice accessed to the indigent woman through the probono scheme “
Self Representation
Training women to represent themselves in court is undoubtedly a transformative aspect of agender justice. Our intention is to migrate all cases fronm the legal respresentation docket to self representstion by the end of this strategic plan. We plan to have to have former clients and communities drive the self-representation intervention with minimal technical support from FIDA.
Specific Change Objective for SR: “…to access justice to the indigent women by empowering communities to train women on Self Representation. “
Legal Representation (LP)
The intervention take on deserving cases and provides legal aid service in the form of advice, demand letters or actual representation in court. In Nairobi we expect to work closely with the Nation Legal Aid and awareness Programme, in which we are the joint facilitators with the law society of Kenya, of the Nairobi High Court Family Division pilot project.
Specific Change Objective for LP: “…to strengthen FIDA Kenya partners’ capacity and organization to act for gender justice and equality between men and women “
Mediation
As part of ‘quick justice’ for the indigent woman, this is another transformative Justice innovation. We shall work with existing ADR system, and our pool of probono lawyers, to re-direct deserving cased to the mediation system. Unlike the formal legal system this will access justice to the indigent woman with less social, emotional and monetary costs.
Specific Change Objective for Mediation: “… to increase the number of disputes resolved through ADR ”