EWLA assists women, particularly disadvantaged women, who are victims of gender-based violence.
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EWLA legal aid service is provided by 16 employees and 300 hundred volunteers.
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) is a non-profit women’s advocacy group founded by Ethiopian Women Lawyers at the federal level in 1995 and re-registered as Local Organization in accordance with the Civil Society Organization Proclamation no-1113/2019. It has been working for more than 27 years to promote women’s social, economic, political and legal rights to help them exercise their constitutional and other rights.
The aim of the Association is to promote equal participation of women in all sectors and to prevent sexual violence against women and create a safe environment for women through its three programs: Legal Research and Advocacy, Public Education and Capacity Building, and Free Legal Aid service. The Association is head quartered in Addis Ababa and has opened its regional offices in seven regions and one city administration namely Adama, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, Gambella, Asosa, Jigjiiga and Semera regions as well as city administration of Dire Dawa. In order to make its service accessible to all, the association is working to expand its service in the zones and woredas under its regional and city administration branches. In line with this, it has established 55 volunteer committee centers across the country. Besides, it has established a Call Toll Free Hotline Service (7711) which operates in 3 local languages: Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrigna.
This service is a crucial step in helping women and girls start to climb the steps to get access to legal response mechanisms and to demand their rights. EWLA is the place where they get relief.
Learn MoreThe public awareness programs conducted by EWLA are believed to produce a society less tolerant of any gender-based violence perpetrated against women.
Learn MoreEWLA undertakes research projects that are often used as a basis for advocacy, legal reform and related programs. This greatly helps to identify root causes of gender discrimination which in turn can dictate prevention efforts.
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Since its establishment in 1995 through its three major programs EWLA has been addressing the issue of gender equality, women empowerment and violence against women among many other issues.
EWLA has helped women access justice which is crucial to attain gender equality. Until now, over 250,000 women and double number of children have accessed justice through the legal aid service provided by EWLA. It has made successful advocacy works which brought about law reforms on the family law, pension law and the criminal code.
The extensive public education works have helped increase awareness on the rights of women and response/support mechanisms. Over 80,000 persons have been directly participated in the awareness creation and capacity building workshops and training sessions organized by EWLA and over 5 million people have been reached through awareness creation media programs.
Vision: EWLA has a vision to see a country where women are equal to men.
Mission: EWLA’s mission is promoting the economic, political, social and legal rights of women and to that end assist them to secure full protection of their rights under the Constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and other international human rights conventions.
Value: EWLA’S Core Value is:
Respect for humanity
Promote gender equality
Empower Women
Non-Discrimination
Transparency
Partnership
Innovation
Excellence
Voluntarism
EWLA is head quartered in Addis Ababa and has opened its regional offices in seven regions and 1 city administration namely Adama, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, Gambella, Asosa, Jigjiiga and Semera regions as well as city administration of Dire Dawa. The branch/regional offices are supported by 55 trained voluntary committees organized at woreda and zonal levels providing structures to reach women at a grass root level all over Ethiopia. Besides, it has established a Call Toll Free Hotline Service (7711) which operates in 3 local languages: Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrigna.
