Project profile — Improved access to justice for victims of gender-based violence

• El Salvador (100.00%)

• Legal and judicial development:
Legal and judicial development (15130) (10.00%)
Human rights (15160) (35.00%)
Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (20.00%)
Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (35.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)

The project aims to increase access to justice for victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in El Salvador, particularly women and girls, so that they can implement their rights more effectively. This project aims to support the promotion of human rights in El Salvador by increasing access to justice for vulnerable populations, particularly victims of sexual and GBV. Project activities include: (1) training and coaching lawyers and civil society organizations to actively participate in legal and democratic processes to reduce impunity and improve the rule of law in Honduras; and (2) fostering the collaboration of Lawyers Without Borders with their partners in the field, to improve the effectiveness of human rights judicial proceedings through training and technical support from specialized lawyers. The project benefits all victims of GBV, in particular women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ2I community. This will represent a significant step forward in terms of access to justice, the fight against impunity and a change of mentality within the judicial system and society. The project works directly with some 500 actors in the justice system and civil society organizations (CSOs), and with over 5,000 people, including 2,500 women and girls.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) and justice system actors to protect and defend human rights in cases of gender-based violence (GBV); and (2) increased participation and representation of women and CSOs in advocacy and dialogue forums for the fight against GBV.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include the following: (1) provided technical and material support to various CSOs and lawyers, as well as human rights defenders; (2) created a firm specializing in litigation of sustained GBV cases; (3) coached local partners in the representation of 2 emblematic GBV cases, including a femicide, aimed at establishing jurisprudence to strengthen the protection and defense of women’s and LGBTQ2I people’s rights; (4) one young LGBTQ2I woman victim of GBV, as well as 2 relatives of a femicide victim, benefited from legal representation by lawyers; and (5) 4 women defenders of women’s rights received legal support.

• Proactive disclosure