Improve Justice Journeys of Women, Children and the Vulnerable!
We are committed to advocating for legislative reforms and policies that uphold gender equality and safeguard the rights of women and children. FIDA provides subsidized legal aid services to women and children and actively engages in public education and outreach aimed at raising awareness about legal right.
Mission
FIDA-Ghana addresses societal discrimination by promoting and protecting the rights of women, children and the vulnerable in Ghana.
Vision
Building a Ghana that is Genger-inclusive, transformative and just
Background
“Federación Internacional de Abogadas” (FIDA) (International Federation of Women Lawyers), established in 1944 in Mexico City, is a global non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of women and children through legal advocacy and social interventions. FIDA was formed by a group of women lawyers who sought to use their legal expertise to address gender inequalities and improve access to justice for marginalised groups. The organisation operates across numerous countries, providing legal aid, advocating for legislative reforms, and raising awareness about issues like domestic violence, child rights, and gender-based discrimination. Over the years, FIDA has become a significant voice in global and local efforts to achieve gender equality and social justice.
FIDA Ghana was established in 1974 as the Ghanaian branch of the global FIDA organisation. It was formed by a group of pioneering Ghanaian women lawyers committed to advancing the rights of women and children in Ghana.Founding members included distinguished female legal practitioners and advocates who were motivated by the challenges faced by women in accessing justice, gender inequality, and the lack of legal literacy among Ghanaian women.
FIDA Ghana’s Footprints
FIDA Ghana provides a unique set of services to Ghanaians. From its inception, FIDA Ghana has provided free or subsidised legal aid services to women and children, particularly those from marginalised and underserved communities who have challenges related to domestic violence, child custody disputes, inheritance conflicts, and property rights violations. Its legal aid programmes have empowered thousands of women to seek justice and challenge harmful socio-cultural norms. FIDA Ghana actively engages in public education and outreach initiatives aimed at raising awareness about legal rights. Its work has inspired a new generation of women lawyers and human rights defenders in Ghana.
The organisation is committed to advocating for legislative reforms and policies that uphold gender equality and safeguard the rights of women and children. FIDA Ghana contributed to the passage of notable laws like the Domestic Violence Act, Persons with Disability Act, and Affirmative Action Act. The organisaion has, through various studies, drawn attention to and contributed to enhanced service delivery by state-supported service providers such as the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service. Through strategic programming, FIDA Ghana has drawn attention to the barriers and challenges confronting persons with disability, particularly those with hearing impairment, by building the capacity of state-supported services providers to deepen their assistance to these survivors of gender-based violence.
Over the decades, FIDA Ghana has expanded its reach by establishing branches across the country to ensure that women and children access much-need legal services. The organisation has expanded its footprints in many districts and communities where it has trained paralegals to provide legal information, advice and education outreaches.
FIDA Ghana’s Unique Approach to Work
FIDA Ghana uses a range of unique approaches to advance its work.
Legal aid: We ensure that our legal aid services are inclusive of all women and girls from diverse backgrounds who face rights abuses because of their gender, age, disability, economic or social status, and other factors. Lawyers are on hand to provide legal advice, mediation, and free court representation for indigent women who do not have the economic resources to hire lawyers. In communities where there are no lawyers, we provide mobile-legal aid services.
Legal literacy: The legal literacy component of our work reaches communities in all locations of Ghana – north, south, east and west. In addition to in-person outreaches, we package information on laws into simple-to-read publications to reach a wider audience. In doing this, we challenges the social structures that perpetuate inequalities. We identify opportunities to educate Ghanaians on the implications of bills and new laws on womem’s rights (e.g., Property Rights of Spouses Bill, Lands Act, Cybersecurity Act, Affirmative Action Act ). We work through paralegals in the communities who act as a bridge between women and girls and state-supported service providers.
Research and Documentation: We undertake evidence-based studies that unearth issues of inequality and discrimination, and make recommendations for policy and law reform to enhance the legal rights of women, girls and marginalised groups.
Advocacy: Our clients experiences of discrimination, gender-based violence and injustice bolster us to advocate for improved service delivery for survivors of gender-based violence. Through advocacy directed at traditional authorities, we challenge socio-cultural norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls.
Inter-generational community: FIDA Ghana attracts a pool of young female lawyers who shadow seasoned ones in the provision of services to women and girls, and other vulnerable groups. This inter-generational focus of the network sustains the legal expertise which is the fulcrum of the organisation.
Strategic Communication: FIDA leverages traditional and digital media to enhance our image and work, and amplify the voices of the clients we serve through documenting and disseminating good practices and workable models for social justice. We ensure that the reports generated from our research are available and widely disseminated to our stakeholders.
Partnerships: FIDA works in partnership with other civil society organisations to advance its work. Such partnership has proven beneficial in reach and resources to most effectively reach women, children and other vulnerable groups in need in the country.
