LAC Assists People from All Walks of Life
The LAC's main objective is to protect the human rights of all Namibians. It has a head office in Windhoek, Namibia's capital, along with two regional offices. It is funded by national and international donor organisations as well as individuals. Its work is supervised by the Legal Assistance Trust, whose trustees include legal practitioners, other profess
ionals and community leaders. It works in five broad areas:
Litigation
Information and Advice
Education and Training
Research
Law Reform and Advocacy
Litigation
The Legal Assistance Centre is a public interest law firm based in Windhoek.The LAC only takes on public interest cases. A public interest case is a legal case which will have a wider impact on the community than just assisting the individual concerned. Such a case may establish a new legal rule, which will change the law for the entire country or address a discriminatory policy or practice. Or it may attract attention to a problem that is affecting many people. Examples of cases taken up by the Legal Assistance Centre include:
The right of a school learner to return to school after her child was born
The right of an accused in a complicated criminal trial to obtain legal aid
The right of a widow to keep the land she lived on during her marriage after the death of her husband
The right of a HIV-positive person not to be dismissed from employment based on their HIV status
Even if we cannot help you with your case, we may be able to give you information on your rights and on steps you can take to help yourself. Legal Information and Advice
We provide legal information and advice on human rights in the following areas:
HIV/AIDS - including advice on what to do if you are discriminated against, information on workplace policies, access to treatment for HIV. Gender Equality - including information on r**e, domestic violence, sexual harassment in the workplace, inheritance, marriage, divorce and maintenance. Human Rights and the Constitution - such as the right to basic education, the right to health, citizenship, immigration issues and the right not to be tortured or ill-treated. Land, Environment and Development - including inheritance, conservancies, illegal fencing, environmental issues, and issues affecting especially disadvantaged groups such as the Himba and the San. If you want to speak to a paralegal about a legal issue you are concerned about, phone us at +264-61-22-3356 or come to the office at 4 Korner Street, Windhoek. The office is open from Monday to Friday, 08h00-11h30, and 14h00-16h00. Education and Training
We also run training workshops for communities and service providers (such as legal officials, traditional leaders, school principals, police and social workers) on:
Gender - friendly laws including r**e and domestic violence
Communal Land Reform Act and conservancy-related legislation
HIV/AIDS and rights, including children’s rights
Basic human rights training
Research
The LAC also carries out research, particularly on the need for new laws and the implementation of existing laws. Some recent research reports which are available are:
HIV/AIDS and Prisoners’ Rights in Namibia
Infanticide & Baby Dumping in Namibia
Land Reform: A look into Namibia's first court case on land expropriation
Law Reform and Advocacy
We advocate for law reform based on our research. Recent laws which the LAC
contributed to and advocated for are:
Combating of R**e Act
Combating of Domestic Violence Act
Maintenance Act
Non discrimination on the basis of HIV in the Labour Act
Free of Charge
All our services are free of charge (with the exception of litigation where certain costs may be recovered the client may be asked to contribute certain costs, depending
on the circumstances). Donations are very welcome.
