IAWL Pays a GELC-Inspired Courtesy Call To The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association
On October 18, 2024, a team from the Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL) visited the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) office in Addis Ababa. The purpose of IAWL’s visit was to present EWLA with IAWL’s Gender Equality in Law Campaign (GELC) Research Brief  and Gender Equality in Law Model Policy , sign the symbolic policy adoption form  and discuss how EWLA could partner with IAWL to disseminate the research findings, progressively adopt the Model Policy and conduct research on Ethiopian women in law.  Ms. Lensa Biyena Geleta, the Executive Director of EWLA, led the IAWL team on a guided tour through the EWLA offices and the nature of the association's work. Co-founded by Former Chief Justice Meaza Ashenafi, EWLA promotes women’s rights through three core programs: Free Legal Aid Services, Public Education and Capacity Building, and Research and Law Reform Advocacy. EWLA’s Legal Aid Services provide legal counsel, court brief-writing and court representation services for all women, with a specific focus on disadvantaged women and victims of gender-based violence. It also provides self-court training for women’s representation and offers a platform for remote support for victims of gender-based violence who are unable to visit the office in person through a national toll-free hotline. Additionally, EWLA has a Projects Office that focuses on creating and managing programs that raise awareness of women’s rights through training, workshops and campaigns. This department also handles the capacity building of EWLA members. Finally, EWLA generates research on women’s rights in order to inform the programs they create and make appeals for law and policy reforms in favor of women’s protection and societal advancement. After the office tour, the IAWL team presented Ms. Geleta with our research and model policy. The highlight of the visit was Ms. Geleta's adoption of the IAWL Gender Equality in Law Model Policy on behalf of EWLA. This adoption signals a commitment by EWLA to continue its work towards gender equality in the Ethiopian legal profession, and a show of gender solidarity. In addition to presenting the research and policy, the visit aimed to strengthen the ties between the two organizations and explore opportunities for future collaboration. Ms. Geleta shared that although, for over 30 years, EWLA has not focused on training women lawyers, that shift is on its radar as EWLA develops its strategic plan for 2025-29. One of those initiatives is focusing on women lawyers and training them in mediation and arbitration, which they have already started doing with their members but will continue to build on. EWLA hopes to expand the training available to its members and looks forward to collaborating with IAWL through the Women’s Excellence in Law and Leadership Academy (WELLA) - Ethiopian Chapter launched  earlier at the African Union. Ms. Geleta expressed interest in finding other ways to engage with and explore supporting women in law in Ethiopia.
