BACK GROUND OF UGANDA PUBLIC RESCUE FOUNDATION
The Uganda
Public Rescue Foundation (UPRF) is a non-government, Non-proffit organization
that was conceived on the idea of Promoting human rights and providing legal
aid to the indigent persons and vulnerable i.e Disabled, women, men, elders and
children in Uganda. Since 2008 when the
foundation was Established, UPRF has been for its association with the work
of promoting Universal Respect for
human rights, offer legal Aid services in Higher Courts and the Chief
Magistrate’s Courts. UPRF works alongside
the Judiciary, the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), police and prisons
in the dispensation of criminal justice for the less privileged (the poor) to
bridge the gap of civil society on the demand side of justice delivery.
The Purpose
of UPRF is centered on offering professional and standardized legal aid
services to disadvantaged people charged with offences that carry a sentence of
10 years imprisonment or more. Over the
year and fight for human rights, UPRF has made some significance achievements
such as the significant increase in the number of cases handled in comparison
to the total registered.
The organizations’ scope of work covers free litigation,
legal advice, Land assistance, Succession, Petty Commercial Claims, Legal
technical services, Public interest Litigation, Mediation, Criminal defence, prison
visits, human rights sensitization, counselling, behaviour change
communication, research, advocacy/lobbying and mediation for the poor charged
with criminal offences with a focus on poor people charged with capital or
serious offences: murder, kidnapping, rape and defilement.
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
The Uganda Gender Resource Centre (UGRC) articulates the relevance of the principles of gender equality and equity to the development process through information gathering and dissemination, capacity building and advocacy. It empowers communities, particularly women, to know and enforce their social, political and economic rights through legal education and provision of legal aid services. In matters of Legal aid UGRC focuses on offering legal representation and counseling in cases of domestic violence land and property rights, inheritance, divorce child maintenance and custody.