Law internship with a feminist organization
Women’s Legal Centre (WLC), based in Cape Town, is an independently funded nonprofit founded by a small group of women lawyers. The main mission of this fiercely feminist legal centre is to recognize and advance women’s rights in South Africa.
Although South African women are legally protected by the Constitution, in reality, many black women still face daily struggles, especially in rural areas. Gender-based violence, lack of access to financial independence, discrimination in work environment, and inaccessible basic public healthcare are all issues still rampant in the country today.
To tackle these issues, WLC works in five strategic areas:
- To ensure favorable and just working conditions for women, especially vulnerable workers such as farm workers and migrant workers;
- To ensure women’s ownership of land and property, especially in case of dissolution of relationships;
- To advance and recognize women’s independent rights in access to resources, both in and outside of a relationship;
- To protect women’s rights in making choices about their own reproductive health, and to ensure that women have access to adequate healthcare;
- To improve women and (girl) children’s access to state protection from sexual and domestic violence.
Furthermore, WLC strives to offer free legal advice to women to empower them through necessary knowledge. In order to advance their feminist agenda, WLC also provides women support by using tools such as litigation, advocacy, education, and training.
