AREA 1
The Right to favourable and just working conditions
The recognition and protection of labour right’s for vulnerable and marginalised womxn workers, in particular the rights of sex workers, farm workers, domesitc workers and migrant workers.
Despite South Africa’s rights-based labour legislation, womxn continue to face barriers with regards to accessing employment, and to securing decent working conditions. Our goal in this programme is the recognition and protection of the labour rights of vulnerable and marginalised womxn workers, in particular but not limited to: farm workers, domestic workers, migrant workers, and sex workers.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1.
The development of the law to ensure that womxn’s human rights are recognised, protected, promoted, and fulfilled in the workplace.
2.
Holding the state and private bodies accountable for violating womxn’s human rights in the workplace.
3.
Engaging with national, regional, and international structures to promote the interest of vulnerable groups and to ensure compliance with human rights standards.
4.
Collaborating and partnering with strategic and relevant organisations to promote the interests of womxn who work in precarious conditions
5.
Providing education and training on womxn’s basic labour rights and protections.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1.
To ensure that laws and practices do not discriminate against womxn’s access to land and tenure security.
2.
To challenge apartheid land patterns and dispossession that impact on womxn’s rights to land and tenure security.
3.
To shape the agenda of national, regional, and international structures to promote the interest of womxn’s rights to land and tenure security, and to ensure compliance with human rights standards.
4.
To collaborate and partner with strategic and relevant organisations to promote the interests of womxn’s rights to land and tenure security.
5.
Seek to develop the duty of the state to provide emergency housing for victims of domestic violence.
AREA 2
The Right to Land Housing and Property
Women have an independent right to access land in an equitable and affordable manner, and are provided with tenure security, economic freedom, and a safe, accessible and healthy place to live.
Women, in most cases, are not given legal ownership to land, housing, and property, and also encounter issues in attempting to obtain legal ownership with regards to land and tenure. We attend to cases that extend tenure and ownership of land to women in their own right, and prevent loss of tenure on the dissolution of relationships (such as divorce or separation).
AREA 3
Equality in Relationships
The advancement and recognition of womxn’s independent rights within, and on the dissolution of, a relationship, so as to ensure fair and equitable access to resources and rights.
Our programme on womxn’s rights to housing, land and property in relationships focuses on the advancement and recognition of womxn’s independent rights in, and on the dissolution of, a relationship, so as to ensure fair and equitable access to resources and rights within the relationship, as well as once a relationship may end.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1.
To ensure the legal recognition of all relationships, irrespective of religion, custom, or sexual orientation.
2.
To challenge discriminatory practices and laws that impact on womxn’s access to resources in a relationship.
3.
To ensure the equal application of law and legal obligations arising out of relationships, and to ensure that these are enforced, promoted, and protected in an equitable and fair manner.
4.
To engage with national, regional, and international structures to promote the interests of womxn’s rights in a relationship, and to ensure compliance with human rights standards.
5.
To collaborate and partner with strategic and relevant organisations to promote womxn’s rights and interests in relationships.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1.
To ensure womxn have access to information and services to make informed decisions in relation to their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
2.
To hold the state and private entities accountable for the implementation of sexual and reproductive health rights.
3.
To challenge all discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, which interfere with womxn’s rights to autonomous decision-making around issues of sexuality and reproduction.
4.
To engage with strategic partners to promote and create awareness of womxn’s right to make autonomous decisions in relation to SRHR.
AREA 4
Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights
The realisation of SRHR that enable womxn’s rights to access health services in a manner that is non-coercive, free from violence and all forms of discrimination.
Accessing health care can be a complex and confusing task for womxn which impacts on womxn’s ability to make informed and autonomous decisions about their health care. There are also very few accountability mechanisms within the state health care system. We take cases that promote and protect womxn’s right to make choices about their own reproductive health, and litigate to ensure that womxn have access to reproductive health care.
AREA 5
The Right to be Free from Violence
An accessible system that takes account of, and supports, the particular needs of womxn impacted by violence, and that provides optimal services and protection by the state and private entities, and reduces secondary victimisation.
In South Africa, womxn face grave violations of their rights to safety and dignity, which impacts negatively on womxn and society at large. We attend to cases that combats the infringement of these rights, and improves the access of womxn and (girl) children to state protection from violence, particularly sexual and domestic violence.
Violence against womxn in South Africa continues with impunity. To date, the response from Government to sexual and domestic violence has been reactive, despite their constitutional responsibility to ensure that all South Africans live free from violence.
The most recent crime statistics (2019/20) show that 53,293 sexual offences were reported during that period. Bearing in mind significant under-reporting and the gendered nature of these crimes, it is clear to the WLC that violence against womxn occurs at epidemic levels. This must be addressed.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1.
To ensure that there is a legislative framework to address violence against womxn that is compliant with international and constitutional obligations.
2.
To ensure that the state has implementation plans in place to action legal frameworks and policies.
3.
To hold the state and private entities accountable for the implementation of laws and policies, and for the development of due diligence standards relating to violence against womxn.
4.
To engage with strategic partners to promote and create awareness of womxn’s rights to make autonomous decisions in the context of violence.