Addis Hiwot Rehabilitation and Reintegration Association (AHRRA), in collaboration with the Center for Justice in Kality, Adama, Bahir Dar, and Deberbirhan prison centres, has been implementing a project entitled ‘Promoting Human Rights-based Approach towards Vulnerable Groups in Prisons in Ethiopia.’

There are no organized free legal aid services in most Ethiopian prisons due to a lack of free service providers and lack of a sufficient service centre or room to provide such services by volunteers. In addition, the inmates are unaware of free legal aid services. In most cases, justice has never been equal for the rich minority and the poor majority and the vulnerable such as women prisoners, HIV/AIDS positive prisoners and incarcerated children because the latter groups cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Similarly, there was no free legal aid centre in the Deberbirhan prison centre, which made it difficult to provide free legal aid services to needy clients. To address this problem the Addis Hiwot Rehabilitation and Reintegration Association’s (AHRRA) project worked closely with the prison administration to renovate a room for use as a free legal aid services centre. As a result, the needy clients are able to access legal advice.

Many activities were undertaken to increase the demand for free legal aid services through various awareness creation programmes. With two free legal aid centres, a total of 237 prisoners (68 female and 169 male) were provided with free legal services in Deberbirhan and
Bahir Dar prisons by trained paralegal aid providers, local university students, and other volunteers.