General
Source: Tanzania Daily News
TANZANIA Women Lawyers' Association (TAWLA) has provided free legal aid to over five million women through its legal aid clinics as it celebrates its silver jubilee.
Speaking at a press briefing in Dar es Salaam, TAWLA Vice-Chairperson, Ms Margaret Ringo, said the number had been achieved thanks to toll-free mobile legal aid.
"To ensure greater access to justice in rural and peri-urban areas, TAWLA has trained over 402 community paralegals in 18 districts and these have served over 10,000 annually," she explained.
Ms Ringo said that in the 25 years of their existence, access to justice had been delivered to a number of children and women through publications, media, paralegals and drama.
She said through the media they had managed to reach more than 15 million people. "Justice delivery has been sensitized on the need to be sensitive to specific needs of women and children and has advocated for the reform of gender discriminative laws and contributed to enactment of laws that protect women and children," she explained.
TAWLA Executive Director, Ms Tike Mwambipile, said as part of the silver jubilee celebrations they would promote will writing campaigns and free will writing from May 10 - 29 in Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Arusha and Dodoma regions.
Ms Mwambipile said that other activities include media campaigns, provision of legal aid to women in Kingolwira prison in Morogoro region and increased mobile legal aid services.
"During this period we also plan to expand our legal services to the Lake Zone as well as conduct continuous legal education seminars to our members in Dar es Salaam," she said.
She said that at the climax on May 30, there would be an annual general meeting and a members' anniversary dinner where, among other things, the 2015-2019 Strategic Plan would be launched.