LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

  
Lawyers for Human Rights is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental human rights organisation, started by a group of activist lawyers in 1979. LHR uses the law as a positive instrument for change and to deepen the democratisation of South African society. To this end, it provides free legal services to vulnerable, marginalised and indigent individuals and communities, both South African and non-national, who have experienced unlawful infringements of their constitutional rights.

Our programmes do strategic work in six areas of human rights law. Specialist legal practitioners and activists staff each programme:

• Environmental Rights Programme
• Gender Equality Programme
• Land & Housing Programme
• Penal Reform Programme
• Refugee & Migrant Rights Programme
• Strategic Litigation Programme

employs a holistic approach to social justice and human rights enforcement that includes strategic litigation, advocacy, law reform, human rights education, and community mobilisation and support.

The organisation provides legal services through its law clinics and advice offices, located in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Musina, Durban, Cape Town, and Upington. This allows it to identify trends and strategic issues arising across the country and across vulnerable groups that may benefit from litigation.

Community-based outreach, advocacy, and rights education are a core component of LHR’s legal interventions, in order to amplify the impact of critical legal outcomes. LHR seeks out and builds partnerships not only with other civil society actors, but also with communities for which we act as legal representatives and advisors. This ensures that LHR is responsive to the changing social justice issues of the day.