Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA)

Voices of Strength: Afar Women Step into the Leadership Spotlight Public speaking training equips women survivors with the tools to reclaim their narratives, share their lived experiences on their own terms, and transform personal pain into a powerful catalyst for advocacy. In relation to this, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), with support @French Embassy, conducted a two-day Leadership and Public Speaking Training at Semera, Afar Region from August 13-14, 2026. The training brought together selected women, including survivors, to strengthen their leadership, confidence and communication skills. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, participants enhanced their ability to effectively express their views, participate in decision-making processes, and contribute to peace-building initiatives within their communities. The initiative reflects EWLA and the French Embassy's commitment to promoting women's leadership and meaningful participation in community development and peace-building efforts. የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር (ኢ.ሕ.ባ.ሴ.ማ) @ከፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ ጋር በመተባበር በአፋር ክልል ሰመራ ከተማ ለሴቶች የሁለት ቀናት የአመራርነትና የንግግር ክህሎት ማሳደጊያ ሥልጠና ሰጠ። (ነሐሴ 7-8/2018 ዓ.ም) በሥልጠናው ተጎጂዎችን ጨምሮ ሌሎች የተመረጡ ሴቶች የተሳተፉ ሲሆን ዓላማውም የተሳታፊዎችን የአመራርነት፣ የመተማመንና የተግባቦት/የንግግር ክህሎት ለማጠናከር ነው። ተሳታፊዎች በ2 ቀናት ቆይታቸው አሳታፊና በተግባር የተደገፉ አሰራሮችን በመከተል እና ሀሳባቸውን በብቃት በመግለጽ በውሳኔ አሰጣጥ ሂደቶች ላይ የመሳተፍ እና በማኅበረሰባቸው ውስጥ ለሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች አስተዋጽኦ የማድረግ አቅማቸውን ለማሳደግ የሚያስችል ግንዛቤ አግኝተዋል። በዚህ ሥልጠና የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር እና የፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ የሴቶችን መሪነት እንዲሁም በህብረተሰቡ ውስጥ በሚኖሩ የልማትና የሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች ላይ ያላቸውን ትርጉም ያለው ተሳትፎ እንዲሳድጉ ቁርጠኝነታቸውን ያንጸባረቀ ነው። #WomenInLeadership #EWLA #AfarWomen #EmpowerHer #Peacebuilding #WomenEmpowerment #EWLA #FrenchEmbassy

Empowering Refugee Women to Lead and Build Peace (August 14, 2026, Ura Refugee Camp, Benishangul-Gumuz region) Leadership Skills and Conflict Resolution training empowers refugee women to speak up, make informed decisions, resolve tensions peacefully, and lead positive change in their families and communities; building confidence, resilience, and stronger, more inclusive futures. Taking this into account, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), in partnership with the H.E.R. (Hope, Empowerment, Resilience) Consortium Project, supported by DRC/AFD, conducted a one-day training on: Leadership Skills and Conflict Resolution for refugee women at Ura Refugee Camp.The training aims to strengthen participants’ skills in leadership, facilitation, negotiation and conflict resolution, while equipping women to participate meaningfully in Peacebuilding Committees (PBCs) and Community-Based Protection Networks (CBPNs). Let us empower women with the confidence and skills to lead, negotiate, and resolve conflicts; together, we can build stronger, more peaceful, and inclusive communities. #WomenLeadership #Peacebuilding #ConflictResolution #WomenEmpowerment #RefugeeWomen #CommunityProtection #UraRefugeeCamp #EWLA #HopeEmpowermentResilience #DRC #AFD

Justice in Action: Strengthening Access to Justice  in Sidama region  (August 13-14, 2026, Hawassa) Strengthening access to justice transforms theoretical rights into lived protection. Without functional pathways to seek redress, laws remain hollow promises for those who need them most. Inline with this, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), in partnership with #UNFPA, hosted a two‑day refresher training in Hawassa. The session engaged legal aid staff, volunteer lawyers and Bureau of Justice focal persons from South and Central Ethiopia, focusing on strengthening prevention and protection mechanisms against sexual and gender‑based violence (SGBV) and harmful traditional practices (HTPs). Key highlights include: 🔹Enhanced Collaboration: EWLA staff and committees worked closely with BoJ focal persons to improve service delivery. 🔹Updated Legal Knowledge: Participants refreshed their understanding of legal frameworks, human rights standards and survivor‑centered approaches. 🔹Improved Practical Skills: The training strengthened participants' skills in drafting of pleadings, briefs and appeals. 🔹Standardized Protocols: Uniform guidelines were established for handling sensitive cases. 🔹Strengthened Networks: A cohesive peer network was built to enhance institutional responses. In general, this initiative underscores EWLA’s commitment to advancing gender justice and ensuring accessible, high‑quality legal support for communities in Sidama and beyond. #EndSGBVandHTP #EWLA #UNFPA #LegalAid #GenderJustice #HawassaSidama

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From Uncertainty to Confidence: Empowering Women to Navigate Court Proceedings (August 11, 2026, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Assosa)   For many women, entering a courtroom feels like stepping into an intimidating, high-stakes black box where unfamiliar procedures and anxiety create massive hurdles to justice. Recognizing these challenges, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), through the H.E.R. (Hope, Empowerment, Resilience) Consortium Project, supported by DRC/AFD, conducted a Bi-Annual Self-Court Presentation Training for women residing in Ura Refugee Camp. Participants engaged in mock trials, role-playing scenarios, and interactive discussions to demystify every phase of the judicial process; from initial filings to post-trial steps. A central pillar of the session focused on assertiveness: teaching women that standing up for their rights isn't about being aggressive, but about communicating facts with calm, respectful clarity and unshakeable dignity. Beyond legal tactics, the platform focused on holistic recovery. By connecting participants to psychosocial support, legal aid and protection networks, the training helped break the isolation and stigma surrounding gender-based violence, proving that legal literacy is the first step toward self-determination. Every step toward understanding the law is a step toward claiming one's rights. Together, we continue building pathways where women can seek justice with knowledge, confidence, and dignity.   #WomenEmpowerment #LegalLiteracy #RefugeeSupport #HumanRights #SelfRepresentation #AccessToJustice #WomensRights #SurvivorCentered #UraRefugeeCamp #EWLA #HopeEmpowermentResilience #DRC #AFD

Let us collaborate to strengthen Justice and  fight SGBV and HTPs Key justice actors including Police, Public Prosecutors, and Judges from Sidama, Central Ethiopia and South Ethiopia regions gathered in Hawassa from August 11-12, 2026, for a refresher training. Organized by  Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA) in partnership with #UNFPA, the event was officially opened by Mrs. Tsehay Admassu, Directress at Sidama Region Bureau of Justice, alongwith Directors of Women and Cross-Cutting Affairs from the three regional bureaus of Justice.    Focused on four core pillars, the initiative aimed to enhance institutional efficiency and cross-sector collaboration: - Knowledge Refreshment: Updating legal professionals on national and international human rights frameworks and survivor-centered justice. - Strengthened Protection: Standardizing skills to preserve evidence, ensure sensitive case management and prevent secondary victimization. - Enhanced Coordination: Building a robust network across law enforcement and the judiciary to speed up response times and referral pathways. - Harmonized Case Handling: Aligning protocols to deliver swift, uniform protection for vulnerable women and girls. Together, we are building a safer, more responsive justice system for all. #HumanRights #SGBV #HTP #UNFPA #EWLA #JusticeSector #Sidama #SouthEthiopia #CentralEthiopia #Strongertogether #WomenProtection

EWLA Expands Access to Justice in Gambella Region Through Strategic Partnerships ​On August 5, 2026, a delegation led by the Executive Directress of Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), Mrs. Hebret Abahoy visited Gambella Regional State, securing two major partnerships to advance women’s rights and broaden legal access. ​1.High-Level Regional Engagement Regarding early policy discussions, the delegation met with H.E. Mrs. Alemitu Omod, the first female President of Gambella Regional State. HE President Alemitu commended EWLA’s essential work, particularly its free legal aid services provided through its regional branch office and across six woredas. Both leaders agreed to deepen institutional collaboration to reinforce legal protections for women statewide. ​2.Signing Strategic Memorandum of Understanding Under a project supported by UNFPA, EWLA formalized its partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Head of the Gambella Regional Justice Office. This agreement establishes a clear framework to: Expand Legal Aid: Extend free legal services to underserved local communities. ​Drive Public Education: Scale up legal literacy and awareness campaigns across the region. ​Address Systemic Barriers: Coordinate efforts to resolve structural justice challenges facing women. ​These milestone engagements reinforce EWLA’s dedication to ensuring that every woman regardless of her socioeconomic status has equal access to justice.   #AccessToJustice #WomensRights #FreeLegalAid #GenderJustice #WomenInLeadership #EWLA #UNFPA #Gambella

Stronger systems, Better protection, Real impact! On August 5, 2026, Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA), in partnership with UNFPA launched a Quarterly Multi-Stakeholder Referral and Coordination Platform to strengthen collaboration among service providers and improve survivor-centered referral systems in Gambella. This initiative is a critical step towards ensuring survivors receive timely, coordinated, and dignified support through integrated legal, social, and institutional services. Key stakeholders from Gambella Regional Bureau of Justice, Supreme Court, Police Commission, one stop Center, civil society, and organizations of persons with disabilities, have joined forces to build a more responsive and inclusive support system. Together, let's advance access to justice and comprehensive care for all survivors! ጠንካራ የአሰራር ስርዓት ለተሻለ ጥበቃ እና ተጨባጭ ለውጥ! የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር ከዩኤን ኤፍ ፒኤ ጋር በመተባበር ሐምሌ 29 ቀን 2018 ዓ.ም በጋምቤላ ከተማ በአገልግሎት ሰጪዎች መካከል ያለውን ትብብር ለማጠናከር እና ተጎጂዎችን ያማከለ የሪፈራል አገልግሎት አሰጣጥ ስርዓትን ለማሻሻል የሩብ ዓመት የባለድርሻ አካላት የትብብርና የምክክር መድረክ አካሔደ። ይህ ተነሳሽነት ተጎጂዎች ህጋዊ፣ ማህበራዊ እና ተቋማዊ አገልግሎቶችንና ድጋፎችን በተፋጠነ፣ በተቀናጀ እና ክብራቸውን በጠበቀ መልኩ እንዲያገኙ ለማድረግ ወሳኝ እርምጃ መሆኑ ከመድረኩ ተገልጿል። በመድረኩ ከጋምቤላ ክልል ፍትህ ቢሮ፣ ጠቅላይ ፍርድ ቤት፣ ፖሊስ ኮሚሽን፣ ከሲቪል ማህበረሰብ ድርጅቶች እና ከአካል ጉዳተኞች ማህበራት የተውጣጡ ቁልፍ ባለድርሻ አካላት ተሳትፈው የበለጠ ምላሽ ሰጪ እና ሁሉን አቀፍ የድጋፍ ስርዓት መገንባት በሚቻልባቸው ሁኔታዎች ዙሪያ መክረዋል። በጋራ ለሁሉም ተጎጂዎች የፍትህ ተደራሽነትን እና ሁሉን አቀፍ እንክብካቤን እናጠናክር!  #Strengthencollaborationamongserviceproviders #Improvesurvivorcenteredreferralsystems #Gambellaregion #QuarterlyMultiStakeholderReferralandCoordinationPlatform #EWLA #UNFPA