Avocats Sans Frontières

Avocats Sans Frontières
Founded	1992
Type	Non-profit; NGO
Focus	Human rights
Location	Brussels, Belgium;
Area served	Justice
Method	Field interventions, providing access to justice, legal aid and legal assistance
Key people	Francesca Boniotti, Executive Director; Hafida Talhaoui, President of the Board of Directors
Employees	more than 130 full time staff world-wide
Website	www.asf.be

Who is ASF?

Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF), also known as Advocaten Zonder Grenzen (AdZG) is an international non-governmental organization contributing to the creation of fair and equitable societies, in which the law and its institutions serve the most vulnerable groups and individuals. ASF aims to realize this objective through field interventions in the areas of access to justice, legal aid and legal assistance before both national and international jurisdictions such as the International Criminal Court.

ASF uses the law to serve the most vulnerable people: e.g. minors, women, persons illegally imprisoned, victims of human rights violations.

ASF has field offices in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Nepal and Uganda and projects in Israel/Palestinian territories, Colombia, Chad and Tunisia. The organisation also works on thematic issues such as access to justice, defending the 'defenders', international criminal justice, strategic litigation, and economic and social rights.

Access to Justice

Where the legal aid system is inadequate or absent, the most vulnerable populations have limited access to courts and other mechanisms used for resolving disputes. Their right to fair and equitable justice is at risk.

Together with local partners, ASF develops and establishes mechanisms, tailored to the local situation, improving access to justice for the most vulnerable populations. We organize awareness campaigns amongst the local population to improve knowledge on their rights. Our legal aid centres offer free legal information, advice and referrals. ASF lawyers are available to help the most vulnerable. If needed, mobile courts are organised to ensure access to justice in remote and rural areas.

Finally, ASF strengthens the capacity of local NGOs and bar associations by providing structural support and regular training.

Defending the "defenders"

ASF intervenes in cases where lawyers and human rights defenders are threatened, criminalised, harassed or even killed.

In this respect, ASF also supports local bar associations and human rights organisations through capacity building and advocacy.

Supporting international justice

An international justice system assures the protection of human rights and supports the restoration of victims’ dignity. ASF assists victims who wish to be represented before national and international courts that prosecute international crimes. In this context, ASF provides assistance to victims in several court cases pending before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Strategic litigation

Intervening in a specific case not only contributes to ending injustice for the involved parties, but can also serve – by changing the law – greater public interest.

ASF intervenes for the benefit of vulnerable people in emblematic cases through negotiation, mediation and/or taking a case to court for groups such as child soldiers, victims of human trafficking, torture or mistreatment, threatened journalists, etc.

Economic and social rights

Economic and social rights, such as the rights to decent work conditions, the highest attainable standard of health, education, adequate standard of living including access to land, food and water, are typically violated as a result of lack of political will, negligence and/or discrimination.

ASF provides legal assistance to vulnerable communities to ensure that they have equal access to legal mechanisms in their interactions with more powerful actors (State and non-State), to ensure that people know their rights and are empowered to use them. ASF works with communities to encourage legislative reform through advocacy and, if need be, strategic litigation.

Awards

In 2007, ASF was granted the CCBE Human Rights Award by the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe.^[2]

In 2009 ASF won the Law and Sustainability Prize of the Association of Flemish Jurists. ^[3]

Misc

Avocats Sans Frontières has no affiliation with "Lawyers Without Borders". Its Dutch name is "Advocaten Zonder Grenzen"; the organization does not carry an English name. Avocats Sans Frontières is also commonly known by its abbreviation "ASF".

References

^ "Homepage". Avocats Sans Frontières. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
^ "CCBE Human Rights Award granted to Avocats Sans Frontières" (PDF). The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). Retrieved 16 November 2009.
^ "Prijs "recht en duurzaamheid" - 4 december 2009". Vlaamse Juristenverening. Retrieved 19 december 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links

[1] "Homepage". Avocats Sans Frontières. Retrieved 16 November 2009.

[2] "CCBE Human Rights Award granted to Avocats Sans Frontières" (PDF). The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). Retrieved 16 November 2009.

[3] "Prijs "recht en duurzaamheid" - 4 december 2009". Vlaamse Juristenverening. Retrieved 19 december 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

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