From individual cases to lasting change
Every case teaches us something about how the law and the mental health system work, and where they fail. We document what we learn, carefully and with consent, and use it to push for change.
How we document human rights violations
When a client's experience points to a wider problem, and only with their informed consent, we record it. We remove anything that could identify them. We store records securely. We never publish an individual account.
Over time, these records show patterns: how protection orders are enforced, how custody decisions treat children, what happens to mental health inside prisons, how sex workers are treated when they report violence. Patterns are what change policy.
What we are working to change
Family law and mediation
Family courts and mediation processes that take trauma into account, and that treat children as people with their own interests.
Response to gender-based violence
Protection that actually protects: enforcement of orders, trauma-informed police and court practice, and care alongside legal process.
Mental health in detention
Recognition of the mental health needs of incarcerated people, and access to care and legal help inside prisons.
Child protection
Custody and protection systems that put a child's safety and wellbeing first, with therapy available as part of the process.
Safety and rights of sex workers
Equal access to justice and care for sex workers who experience violence, whoever the perpetrator is.
Integration as standard
A legal aid and mental health system in Ethiopia where combining the two is normal, not exceptional.
Our methods
Strategic litigation
Taking selected cases through the courts where a decision could protect many people, always with the client's full consent and interests first.
Policy submissions and briefs
Evidence-based submissions to ministries, courts, and parliament, drawing on our documentation.
Training and partnerships
Working with courts, police, prisons, health services, and other organisations to spread trauma-informed, integrated practice.
Briefs and reports
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Integrated legal aid and psychological care: a model for EthiopiaComing soon
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Policy brief seriesComing soon
Journalists, researchers, and policymakers can request a briefing or interview by writing to help@thebalance-ethiopia.org. We do not arrange interviews with clients.
Has your experience been one of these?
If you are living through any of the situations above, you do not have to wait for the system to change. Contact us for help now.
Get Help