Help develop access to the rule of law for the majority of peoples who have been excluded from justice.

Consider giving a gift that will help to proclaim justice, reaching far beyond the boundaries of your own home or even country. The hard reality is that most Africans do not know their legal rights and lack the means to obtain advice and representation. Injustice in the justice system is the norm.

In 2011, our partners in Africa helped over 127,000 people access justice.

Who are we?

CLEAR International Australia is an initiative of State-based Christian Lawyers' Societies that has been established to provide legal education, aid and research to and on behalf of the poorest in society within the developing world. Our aim, in partnership with local Christian lawyers in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, is to educate poor and marginalised communities as to their basic human rights and to offer legal aid, advice and advocacy where appropriate.

Who will benefit from your gift?

• Members of the judiciary and legal profession in the developing world who receive human rights and rule of law training and capacity building;
• Urban and rural communities in the developing world who receive community legal education workshops in matters such as human rights, rule of law, international standards, dispute resolution and gender equality;
• Widows who have been forced off their land and made destitute by their dead husband's family; and
• The activities of CLEAR's partners in developing countries that fall within the AusAid requirements for deductible funds.

An example of what we do:

Rwandan Women's Inheritance Rights Education Project

Prior to amendments to the law in 2003, women were not entitled to receive land ownership by will. Despite these amendments, community awareness of the reforms remains low and as a result many widows and their children are left homeless and destitute in Rwanda and other countries in Africa. When the man of the house dies, just when his wife and children are grieving, his relatives force them from their home, sometimes with violence, and claim the house, the land, crops, livestock and everything of value.

Previous regional educational campaigns in Rwanda have seen a substantial increase in the reporting of 'land-grabbing' followed by a significant decrease in the practice due to the prosecutions that ensued.
CLEAR aims to educate Rwandans by supporting local Rwandan lawyers to hold community workshops and develop and distribute educational material translated into local dialects to raise awareness. If sufficient interest is raised, a team of Australian Lawyers may travel to Rwanda to assist in this training and to 'train the trainers'.

Want to know more?

Further information on CLEAR may be obtained at www.clear.org.au , by email to info@clear.org.au or find us on Facebook to follow our events (including our annual missions trips) and receive updates from our in-Africa partners in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.