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Uganda Public Rescue Foundation (UPRF)

Kampala, Uganda
Joined May 2016
Presence in: Uganda
Focus: Community / Customary Land Rights, Criminal Justice, Environmental Justice, Family, Gender-based violence, Generalist Legal Services, Peace-building & Transitional Justice, Traditional / Customary Justice

Uganda Public Rescue Foundation (UPRF) was Established in the year 2008 as one of the new models for improved administration of justice and human rights. It has its major objectives fight for human rights and improving access to justice for all those charged with criminal offences in fulfillment of constitutional requirements. The foundation strives to realize this important goal by fighting for human rights and offering legal services to poor people, especially those charged with serious and complex criminal offences in the higher courts and the Chief Magistrate’s courts. Uprf was accredited as a law firm by the law council, member of Legal Aid service providers (LASPNET), Also member of Uganda National NGO Forum, and work with Foundation for human rights initiatives (fhri)

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) is an independent, not for profit, non partisan, non governmental human rights organization working for the effective protection, promotion and respect of internationally recognized human rights standards and norms in Uganda. FHRI has developed and successfully implemented innovative human rights advocacy strategies and programmes, presses for meaningful law reform and due process of law, promoted practical human rights education, fostered collaboration and networking among human rights activities throughout Uganda and the Great Lakes region thereby bolstering several civil society initiatives and actions. In addition, FHRI offers legal aid in the form of Public Interest Litigation.

The Uganda Public Rescue Foundation (UPRF) works to fight for human rights and the poor in the area of criminal law, through court representation, counseling, mediation and prison visits with a focus on the poor charged with capital/serious offences in the higher courts and the chief magistrate’s courts. To a lesser extent, people facing less serious but complex charges in the lower courts are also assisted. In addition, to litigation UPRF conducts sensitization workshops and seminors as well as training. The sanitization targets prisoners, stakeholders and communities to appreciate the need for legal services for the poor who face criminal charges human rights violation. The training focuses on staff and pro bono lawyers. It empowers political comities to know their rights to know and enforce their social and economical rights through legal education.

The Uganda Public Rescue Foundation (UPRF) primarily addresses legal issues affecting women and children. Programmes that seek to improve access to justice include intervention at all levels where inequality occurs through legal education and mobile clinics, protection of the rights of vulnerable groups (especially women and children in the household, community and nation) training of paralegals and community support persons, and conducting research to reform and engender the law. FIDA also operates at household level to offer legal aid services to individuals seeking mediation of interpersonal conflict primarily within the family. In addition UPRF conducts strategic litigation and documents cases that are handled as a basis for developing good practices and as a source of information for strategic litigation cases. This information also informs UPRF’s programme.

UPRF’s activities also supplement the efforts of Civil Society Organisations to offer legal aid services to the poor and marginalized groups, More specifically, the foundation part of the human rights and Legal AID Service Providers (LASP). This is a network of 6 non-government organizations namely; Legal Aid Clinic of the Law Development Centre, The Legal Aid Project of the Clinic of the Law Development Centre, The Legal Aid Project of the Uganda Law Society, the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, the Public Defender Association of Uganda, the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Uganda Gender Resource Centre. He network has been formed to offer increased, cost effective and standardized legal and services to the poor in specialized areas and fights for their human rights.