LEGAL SERVICES

PUBLIC INTEREST CASES

We develop our public interest cases both proactively and reactively and use a multidisciplinary approach to litigation. Each case has a case team comprised of lawyers, academics, social scientists, people with journalism background and most importantly clients. We do not see public interest litigation as a 'one organisation’s show' hence our approach of working in partnership with other ‘like-minded’ organisations both domestically and internationally.

Our proactive approach involves developing public interest cases out of issues that we identify with our partners. It is out of a deeper understanding of these issues that we identify systemic human rights violations and then use litigation to address them. The issues that we are currently working on are:
  • Rights of prisoners to a clean and healthy environment and HIV/AIDS;
  • Discrimination within the life insurance industry against people living with HIV/AIDS;
  • Discrimination against widows and orphans with respect to their inheritance rights;
  • HIV in the Workplace;
  • HIV and the Right to Education;
  • Human Trafficking in the build up to 2010 FIFA World Cup;
  • Effective Access to Treatment (Access to medicines, food and water);
  • Access to Justice for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) in the DRC.
In developing these cases reactively and proactively we follow our in-house case selection criteria that enables us to assess what impact the case will have by amongst others looking at whether the case represents a systemic human rights abuse/violation, an unconstitutional legislation that violates the rights of the vulnerable in society or any other law, or policy or practice that is antithetical to human rights. Other than the human rights impact we also assess what political, social and economic impact is sought through the case.