Learning Agenda
Why Does Power Matter in Legal Empowerment?
At the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), we believe that justice isn’t just about laws on paper—it’s about people having the power to shape the systems that impact their lives. Around the world, millions of people—especially those from marginalized communities—are denied access to justice, not because laws don’t exist but because those laws are out of reach, inaccessible, or unevenly applied.
In 2023, after surveying grantee partners and consulting with our core team, we identified building power for justice as a key theme for learning. We asked:
- How do legal empowerment groups strengthen their communities’ ability to push for justice?
- What challenges stand in their way?
Through conversations with grantee partners, we identified building power for justice as a key learning theme—and together, we created a learning agenda to deepen our understanding.
A Learning Agenda Led by Grassroots Groups
Rather than a top-down research project, this learning agenda was designed with and for grassroots groups. To answer these questions, the LEF worked with 15 grantee partners across Latin America, Africa, and Asia to co-design a learning agenda—a process that helps groups share knowledge, reflect on challenges, and strengthen their work. The agenda focused on two big questions:
- How are LEF grantee partners contributing to more accessible justice institutions?
- How are LEF stakeholders building power for themselves and others? What are common successes or barriers they face in building power?
Methodology
Facilitated by IWORDS Global, the 15 grantee partners played a key role in shaping the learning agenda through a participatory approach. Over three virtual sessions, they shared their experiences, exchanged insights, and explored strategies for legal empowerment.
To ensure inclusivity, participants were divided into groups based on language and time zones. Each organization was encouraged to have at least two representatives, ensuring continuity in discussions. Through this peer-driven process, the agenda surfaced real-world solutions, challenges, and common themes across different regions.
Learning Outcomes: Two Thematic Areas for Learning
1. Accessible justice institutions
The LEF grantee partners envision justice institutions that truly meet the needs of the communities they serve by being responsive, user focused, and adaptable.
What makes justice institutions accessible?
Accessible justice institutions remove barriers and provide multiple entry points to ensure that all people—regardless of their personal characteristics and circumstances—can effectively and equitably access justice services.
LEF grantee partners highlighted justice institutions at different levels when envisioning more accessible justice systems. Institutions ranged from international to national entities, including regional courts and country-level judiciary bodies. They also noted community-based or alternative dispute resolution entities as important actors in the justice system. Finally, they considered security bodies and administrative control entities linked to the justice system.
2. Building power
The LEF grantee partners explored what it takes to build power within their communities and movements. They identified key challenges, including:
Limited legal knowledge, which prevents people from using the law to protect their rights.
Deep mistrust in institutions, fueled by corruption and impunity.
A disconnect between laws and local realities, making legal frameworks ineffective.
Violence against justice defenders and discrimination that keeps marginalized groups excluded from justice.
To address these challenges, grantees developed a shared definition of power building and strategies to strengthen their movements at multiple levels.
At the organizational level:
- Legal aid and case representation: Providing free or low-cost legal support to protect vulnerable groups.
- Strategic litigation: Using key legal cases to create systemic change.
- Research and documentation: Gathering evidence to expose injustices and push for policy reforms.
- Human rights monitoring: Training community members to track and report abuses.
At the policy level:
- Advocacy for legal and policy reforms: Pushing for justice systems that serve the people.
- Accountability and transparency efforts: Engaging with justice administrators and policymakers to enforce commitments and improve governance.
- Budget monitoring: Ensuring justice sector funding is used effectively to expand access.
2. Barriers LEF grantee partners face in contributing to more accessible justice institutions
Beyond the successes and concrete experiences reported, throughout the implementation of activities to achieve more accessible justice institutions, LEF grantee partners face various barriers.
At the institutional level:
- Fragile justice institutions, inadequate resources, and corruption hinder the justice system’s effectiveness, prolong victims’ suffering, and erode public confidence. Additionally, judicial reluctance to undergo training and budgeting challenges complicate the application of justice for socio-environmental issues.
At the community and civic level:
- Communities face significant barriers to accessing justice due to limited knowledge, high legal costs, and distant justice institutions. Activists and human rights defenders encounter harassment and reprisals, while nongovernmental organizations struggle with limited financial and human resources.
At the policy level:
- The lack of political will, or in some cases overt resistance, from governments and corporations hinders addressing root causes of injustice and protecting community rights. Additionally, inadequate legal frameworks fail to tackle socio-environmental issues and lack mechanisms for community participation.
At the policy level:
- Promote civic engagement to influence government decision and policies.
- Hold strategic dialogue with community leaders and policymakers to address emerging issues and human rights violations.
2. Barriers to building power for justice
LEF grantee partners identified the following barriers when reflecting on their daily work toward building power for themselves and others.
At the institutional level:
- Legal and bureaucratic obstacles, corporate pressure, and limited capacity of justice providers hinder the effective exercise of justice and the protection of community rights.
At the community and civic level:
- The lack of legal knowledge, violence against human rights defenders, government repression, and cultural and gender norms hinder collective organizing and power-building efforts in communities.
At the policy level:
- Some donor funding includes agendas that do not align with the power-building needs of communities.
Download the Learning Agenda:
The summary is also available to download in the following languages:
Portuguese | Arabic | Spanish | French