Legal Aid Plus: Stakeholders Working in Collaboration to Create a Holistic Approach to Justice
It was on Friday morning, May 23, 2025, in Hawassa. A team composed of paralegal officers, justice office leaders, and prosecutors departed the town in a van, to attend a scheduled mobile legal aid service in the small rural town of Dore Bafano in the Hawassa Zuria District of Sidama Region, Ethiopia.
This is a typical mobile legal aid service mission led by Mizan Young Lawyers Center (MYLC). MYLC is one of the CSOs that has been supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) under the Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF) over the past three years.
Degife Bayato, head of the District Justice Office, is part of the team. Seated in his office in Dore town, he recounts the partnership between his office and MYLC. According to Degife, there used to be many gaps in the justice system especially in the prisons. He explains: “People may be harassed and randomly imprisoned. Prosecutors and police did not work well together. For many reasons such as official wrongdoing, misidentification, false confessions, and insufficient defence, people may be wrongfully and unjustly imprisoned. They may spend a considerable amount of time behind cell doors without appearing in court, even after being detained on those grounds”.
Degife reflects on how things have improved: “The project has enhanced our police's awareness of human rights, improved their cooperation with prosecutors, and supported harmonisation in our legal system. Thanks to the contribution of this project, people will now only face legal charges. Additionally, there has been a significant improvement in upholding human rights in our detention centres.” Degife asserts that MYLC’s work is essential in disseminating legal information, and guaranteeing the rights of those in police custody: “Because of the awareness and inspirations we got from the project through trainings and joint work, we at the district justice office are better coordinated”
The team has arrived at Dore Bafano within the police compound. Everything including seats, case recording formats, project banners promoting MYLC’s legal aid services, and tents were unloaded from the van and quickly arranged. Some eleven convicted persons, all male, were being kept in detention. Families of the detainees are also seen at the waiting area within the police compound. Prison doors opened and everyone was requested to come out. Amanuel, MYLC's paralegal officer working on this project welcomed everyone, gave them an overview of the joint initiative, and provided a quick legal awareness education for detainees. He then grouped them into similar cases such as those who haven't been interviewed by police, those who were interviewed by police but did not yet appear in court, those who have been in court but are now awaiting bail release, etc. Together with the police representatives, Amanuel and his team also recorded the names and statuses of the detainees and provided case by case individualised legal consultations. The team identified nine of the individuals as pending cases at the local court, two of these were moved to a different jurisdiction at zonal level after being detained in connection with a murder case and allegedly confessed their involvement. All work combined, took nearly half a day.
Temesgen Ayele, Core Process Owner for Criminal Affairs at the Justice Office said that he has been swayed by the notion of justice as a process that needs careful judgment, impartiality, and a dedication to protecting and embracing the principles of a just society, in contrast to his prior position that justice is merely a matter of implementing laws.
Inspector Fikru, Chief of Police at Dore Detention Centre also commented that the prison's human rights situation has significantly improved over time. "I would say that no one's rights will be infringed as long as we are here, especially considering the influence this project has had on our job through its various trainings and exemplary work. The project should continue to collaborate with us. But be aware that even if they could no longer work with us, we can still ensure that detainees' human rights will be respected. It has become our culture to care for and handle our prisoners professionally. That's how confident we are”.
In the presence of all stakeholders, in harmony, and with the common goal of making justice accessible to all, especially the underprivileged, this is how mobile legal aid is delivered at this prison centre two days a week. MYLC’s legal aid services are also regularly provided from permanent centres established within selected police stations in Hawassa, and through mobile outreach as far as the towns of Wendo Genet and Yirgalem.
MYLC’s collaboration is not limited to public justice bodies. It also works with CSOs like Tellita Rise Up and the Association for Women’s Sanctuary and Development (AWSAD) who provide safe houses and other rehabilitative services for victims of domestic violence, survivors of sexual assault, abandoned children and so on. In addition to providing legal aid services, MYLC connects those in need of rehabilitation to these facilities. Tellita Rise Up is a CSO also closely aligned with another CSO partner, Setaweet, with whom they are collaborating on a project designed to address gender-based violence in Hawassa and Yirgalem towns since January 2025. Overlap of programmes and collaboration such as these show the strength of new partnerships under CSIF.
Amanuel Getachew works at Tellita Rise Up as a project coordinator. He recalls an incident involving a seven-year-old child who was sent to their centre after experiencing rape twice in a short time. The girl's mother caused multiple injuries to her daughter with a hot knife because she believed that the sexual contact was voluntary. After receiving medical treatment, the child was admitted to Tellita's Safe House while MYLC pursues her mother's case. The girl was eventually reunited with her family following months of therapy at the centre, and after her mother was also given a conditional release from prison. Roman Getachew, paralegal officer and coordinator of MYLC’s legal aid centre at Tabor Police Station in Hawassa pays a regular visit to see how the girl is doing.
Justice can only be served effectively by adopting a comprehensive strategy and ensuring that all relevant parties are involved, says Terefe Jomba, Head of Human Rights Division, at Sidama Bureau of Justice. He said, “we plan together, we implement our joint plans together, and we evaluate our work together. This is how our partnership works and for this we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MYLC.” The efforts of these partners—especially the partnership between his office and MYLC—have increased legal awareness within communities, strengthened the dedication of justice agencies, especially the police, and had a positive effect on the justice system by ensuring accountability and boosting public confidence in the legal system. According to Terefe, the fact that MYLC's centres are located inside police detention facilities serves as a “wake-up call”, constantly reminding them of their vital tasks as "vanguards of justice"—upholding and promoting the idea of equity and fairness in society.