Lawyers for Human Rights Upington

Its work is grounded in a holistic approach to social justice: strategic litigation produces precedent-setting victories; advocacy and law reform translate those victories into systemic policy change; rights education builds communities' capacity to claim and defend their own rights; and direct legal services at walk-in clinics ensure that the most marginalised people — those who cannot access or afford private legal services — receive the representation they need.

Gender Equality Programme

LHR's Gender Equality Programme is the programme most directly relevant to GBV survivors. Its mandate is to pursue systemic remedies for gender-based violence and discrimination in South Africa and the region — not case by case (though it also serves individual clients), but through litigation, advocacy, and law reform that changes the structural conditions in which GBV operates.

The programme serves women and girls, and LGBTIQ+ communities. It provides capacity and technical expertise across LHR's other programmes — meaning that GBV-related issues arising in refugee cases, housing cases, or statelessness cases are informed by the Gender Equality Programme's specialist knowledge. This cross-programme integration reflects LHR's understanding that GBV rarely exists in isolation: it intersects with immigration status, housing insecurity, poverty, and disability in ways that require a multi-dimensional legal response.

Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme

LHR's Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme (RMRP), established in 1996, is the largest legal service provider to refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. Its walk-in clinics in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Musina provide legal advice and representation on asylum applications, refugee documentation, detention, deportation, and access to rights.

For GBV survivors who are foreign nationals — asylum seekers, refugees, or undocumented migrants — the intersection of GBV with immigration vulnerability is acute: fear of deportation, inability to access services requiring South African identity documentation, and institutional hostility create compounded barriers to safety and justice. The RMRP is one of the few legal service providers equipped to navigate this intersection. The help@hand text line and Immigration Detention Hotline provide additional access points.

Land and Housing Programme

LHR's Land and Housing Programme specifically addresses women's housing rights — protecting the tenure security and property rights of women who may lose their homes through eviction, dispossession, or the breakdown of relationships. For GBV survivors leaving abusive partners, housing is often the most immediate practical barrier: leaving requires somewhere safe to go, and the loss of shared housing is one of the most powerful forces keeping women trapped. LHR's work in this space — challenging unfair evictions, protecting women's property rights, and addressing housing insecurity for previously disadvantaged communities — is directly relevant to the material conditions of safety for GBV survivors.

Strategic Litigation Programme

The Strategic Litigation Programme litigates public interest cases that have the potential to improve the law and make a difference in many people's lives simultaneously. This includes cases relevant to GBV survivors — precedent-setting litigation that clarifies survivors' rights, challenges discriminatory treatment in courts, or establishes new protections. The programme is active in its own litigation and supports the litigation of LHR's other programmes.

Penal Reform Programme

The Penal Reform Programme addresses the rights of accused persons and sentenced offenders — including in prison contexts where violence against women and LGBTIQ+ persons is a documented concern. It works through strategic litigation, research, and advocacy.

Walk-In Legal Aid Clinics

LHR's walk-in clinics in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Musina provide direct legal advice and representation — free of charge — to vulnerable, marginalised, and indigent individuals. These clinics are the ground-level interface through which LHR's services reach individual survivors. Any person who needs legal help and cannot afford it can walk in during clinic hours and receive advice or representation.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

For GBV survivors in South Africa — particularly those whose situations involve intersecting vulnerabilities like immigration status, housing insecurity, or disability — LHR's Gender Equality Programme, walk-in legal clinics, and Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme make it one of the most relevant and powerful free legal resources available. For survivors who need legal representation for protection orders, criminal proceedings, housing disputes, or rights-based advocacy, LHR should be surfaced as a national resource alongside provincial legal aid providers.

Lawyers for Human Rights: info@lhr.org.za. Pretoria: 012 320 2943. Johannesburg: 011 339 1960. Durban: 031 301 0531. Musina: 015 534 2203. Upington: 054 331 2200. Website: lhr.org.za. Facebook: LawyersForHumanRights. Founded 1979.