 The Namibia Paralegal Association (NPA) is a non-profit association that strives to make law accessible to disadvantaged Namibians, with the ultimate aim of creating and maintaining a culture of human rights in Namibia. Namibia is located in the south-western part of the African continent; it is about 624sq km in size, hosts 2 million inhabitants and gained independence in 1990.
When you consider that Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world (Gini co-efficient), this mission takes on a whole new perspective. The cost of legal service is unattainable by average Namibian, with an estimated 90% of people in Namibia unable to afford the services of a legal practitioner. The few lawyers that there are, are all based in the cities and urban centres. 67% of the population is based in rural areas, with only 33% based in urban areas (National census - 2001).
There are big issues with human rights abuses in Namibia. Amongst the issues that people in poorer communities are facing here, are stigma and discrimination on the basis of being HIV positive. There are also issues related to gender (gender-based violence) and inheritance – widow dispossession etc. Many people in Namibia are suffering. We hope to alleviate some of this suffering, through our paralegal volunteers based in all the community and the Justice Outreach programme.
Our paralegals are trained Namibian volunteers. They go out into the community and teach people about their rights. The people are very vulnerable, so if (and when) they are abused they do not know who to turn to. These paralegals give advice and at times bring the cases to human rights lawyers who take the cases to court through the Legal Assistance Centre. All this is done for free for those who cannot afford it.
We hope that you take the time to browse through our pages, learn a little more about us and, if you are interested, to support our work. For our Namibian visitors, we hope that you use of our paralegal directory – please feel free to contact a paralegal if you need our services.
Yours in Human Rights,
Victor Mutumbulwa
National Co-ordinator
Namibia Paralegal Association |
The Namibia Paralegal Association has recently benefited from the generosity of a number of Maltese volunteers.
The University of Maryland School of Law recently held a law clinic in Namibia, during which they assisted the NPA.
Members of the NPA have recently been conducting Anti-Gender-based Violence workshops around Namibia for the office of the Ombudsman.
