Avocats Sans Frontières

Description

Avocats Sans Frontières is an international NGO that works to make justice systems accessible, independent and fair for vulnerable people.

It was created in 1992 by a group of Belgian lawyers and is based in Brussels, Belgium. It works in countries where human rights are not respected, where political violence and armed conflict are present, and where legal rules are widely flouted. In such places courts often fail to resolve conflicts fairly, leaving people to rely on vigilante justice instead.

ASF advocates for institutions and mechanisms that guarantee legal security and fundamental human rights, and it addresses gaps in legislation, procedure and judicial independence. It works to make people aware of their rights and able to defend them, and it supports the training of justice personnel such as lawyers and judges. Its legal aid work is delivered through its own field projects rather than as individual case assistance.

It does not take on individual legal cases outside its projects, including matters such as immigration, family law or civil litigation, and it does not intervene in judicial or administrative cases within Belgium.