Legal action can be a powerful tool in upholding human rights, protecting our environment, and holding power to account. But legal action is generally out of reach to the vast majority of people who need it most. This is because:

• Law is complex and can be difficult to understand
• There can be legal and procedural barrier
• There can be practical difficulties in using legal action (e.g. costs, time, security threats)
• People often don’t know what they’re rights are and how they can be enforced

Most people suffering from injustice do not have access to justice. The potential for legal action to tackle a wide range of problems remains untapped. Action4Justice was created out of a desire to change this reality.

There is a need to equip civil society organisations, legal practitioners and communities with the tools to identify and exploit opportunities to take legal action in furtherance of social justice.

To do so, Action4Justice decided to create a platform to enable civil society organisations, practitioners and communities to access information about their rights and how to enforce them. The aim is to provide those in need with simple, practical and accessible resources to understand when and how legal action can be used to solve problems, deliver systemic change, and in doing so, reinforce the rule of law.

While there are many existing websites devoted to accessing legislation and case law, our research showed that few provided know-how on the practical aspects of access to justice. Those that do are confined to narrow areas of law, rather than providing users with information about the range of options open to them.

We are focusing on producing interactive materials, creating networks and dissemination workshops on how to legally protect human rights and the environment which are of universal use, as well as specific and tailored projects in Nigeria and Mexico.