Lawyers against Abuse (LvA) is a non-profit organisation that was established in 2011 to provide highly specialised, integrated legal services and therapy for victims of GBV, including sexual violence, domestic violence and child abuse. Over the last nine years, LvA has cultivated an innovative and integrated approach to combatting GBV that works deeply in individual communities to strengthen the
justice system’s response to GBV while also providing comprehensive support to individual victims of abuse. In 2014, LvA launched its pilot Centre in Diepsloot, an informal settlement north of Johannesburg. Our work in Diepsloot focuses on the following four programme areas:
• Direct Legal Services: providing professional and nuanced legal services to assist clients in securing protection orders and pursuing criminal cases of sexual violence and assault;
• Psychosocial Support: providing trauma debriefing and individual and group-based therapy and counselling;
• State Actor Engagement: strategically and consistently interacting with key actors within the justice system to create accountability, build capacity and strengthen the response of the criminal justice system; and
• Community Engagement: conducting targeted outreach and workshops for community members to raise awareness of GBV, legal rights and remedies and LvA’s services. In January 2021, LvA opened its second Centre in Orange Farm, an informal settlement in the south of Johannesburg, which focuses on the provision of direct legal services and engaging with local state actors. To date, LvA has provided critical support to over 1,200 GBV victims in Diepsloot, including assisting 626 clients with protection orders, supporting 250 clients pursuing criminal cases, and providing 422 clients with over 2,500 therapy sessions. LvA has also developed strong partnerships with local police, courts, clinics, service providers, and community structures which have allowed LvA to create greater accountability and build capacity within the system. LvA is a registered Public Benefit Organisation (SARS Registered PBO #930037235) and Non-Profit Organisation (NPO #159-154).
