Equal Access to Justice for Women in Honduras
by SOMBRILLA INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIETYIn 2021 Sombrilla, in partnership with Honduran NGO, OCDIH started the Equal Access to Justice for Women Project. The goal of the project was to empower women and girls to protect their rights, in particular their right to a life free of gender-based violence in two municipalities (Las Flores and Lapaera) in Honduras
Women and girls living in marginalized communities were able to have access to a "mobile legal clinic" offering legal and psychological services. The project seeks to build the women and girls awareness of their rights and knowledge of pathways to justice by establishing local women's support networks and developing ties between the municipalities and institutions of the judicial system to create rapid systemic change.
This project was initially funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Fund for Innovation and Transformation.
Based on feedback from the women in these communities Sombrilla and OCDID plan to continue the project by providing ongoing access to professional services of a lawyer and psychologist, emergency funds to support women fleeing from domestic based violence, and training to assist women in starting home businesses and becoming more independent.