Paralegal programme
In order to create a community support system for the protection of women, men, children and the minority groups, ULA embarked on the programme of training community volunteers as Paralegals. In the Paralegal training programmes, key people in the community like religious leaders, teachers, retired civil servants, opinion leaders and women leaders are identified, trained and equipped with basic knowledge on Land Laws and Land rights to help them handle legal related cases in their respective communities. Paralegals are a basic resource in the communities, which play a big role, which includes;
- Disseminating information on land and land rights among the communities through sensitization.
- Handling land disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Monitoring Land rights violations in the communities.
- Referring communities to the rightful Institutions’ for redress.
ULA has a paralegal model in the districts of;
Kapchorwa, Mbale, Apac, Pader, Amuru, Katakwi, Moroto and Luwero
For sustainability of the interventions initiated, ULA promotes and has gone further to support the formation of Paralegal Associations. With the Paralegal Associations, ULA will have minimal support towards the Paralegals and eventually, these Associations remain self reliant.
The districts where paralegals have formed Paralegal Association are;
- Kapchorwa
- Luwero
- Apac.
The Paralegal Associations are now able to lobby for their own funding and conduct its activities, with minimal support form ULA.
ULA is consolidating its protection and promotion of women’s land and property rights in Luweero as a learning centre for the other Land Rights Centre on the use of paralegal structure and community volunteers to protect and monitor women’s land and property rights in a bid to prevent women’s vulnerability and discrimination on land and property ownership and control.
Currently, ULA is implementing a Paralegal Monitoring project focusing on women’s property rights. Paralegals are sensitizing the communities on the basic laws on property rights as well as handling cases.
