Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA)

In an effort to inventory laws that discriminate against women, ELWA carries out research and law reform advocacy. Specifically, the association commissions research on laws which directly or indirectly affect women and their rights. The findings of this research are used as the basis for advocacy and an entry point for national debate.

EWLA uses newsletters, the media, and the internet to get its message across. For example, EWLA also has a 10-minute educational radio programme that airs once a week on the national Radio Service (Saturday mornings from 8:40am to 8:50am). The association also has a documentation centre that provides reading materials on women’s issues and other related matters to students and individual researchers. These communication tools are meant to ensure that EWLA's research on the social, economic and political impact of discrimination against women reaches key people in government and throughout civil society.

Interpersonal approaches also characterise ELWA's work. The organisation has an ongoing public education training programme for women on women's rights, assertiveness and reproductive health and rights. The objective of the training is to enhance awareness on women's rights among female students and women workers.

Rights, Women, Gender.

ELWA aims to:

• assist Ethiopia in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy
• strengthen and provide local security and access to justice
• strengthen the capacity of Ethiopian civil society organisations
• support prisoners' rights in Ethiopia through Prison Fellowship Ethiopia, which lobbies for adequate services and support for prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.

The organisation believes that, “Although [women’s legal rights] are enshrined in the country’s constitution, women still face legal and traditional discrimination as well as unequal treatment in education, employment and access to public services.”