Producing Knowledge For Social Change
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Knowledge Production
We prioritise knowledge production and developing materials that serve as resources for ourselves, our partners and organisations who want to deepen their understanding and improve their ways of doing strategic litigation in Africa. We seek to surface undocumented knowledge held by feminist litigators. The process involves continuously contributing to knowledge about how to litigate on issues relating to women’s sexual and human rights while producing feminist counter-narratives to the gendered knowledge and legal interpretations currently available to strategic litigators. We recognise that social movements are able to produce knowledge from their own lived experiences which should be used to enhance strategic litigation.
Public Engagements
We facilitate public engagement, including ISLA Conversations, which are live interactive sessions on topical issues that lead to the realisation of women’s sexual and human rights on the continent, and we also participate in partners events.
Our Publications (English)

Challenges In Litigating Women's Land and Property Rights
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Litigating For Protection of Women's Rights In Separation, Divorce and Annulment of Marriage
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Comparative Perspectives on Amicus Curiae Practice In Africa
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Defending Women Who Speak
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Litigating Forced Sterilisation In Africa
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Legal Empowerment to Litigate SOGIE Cases: Documenting the Experiment (2016-2022)
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ISLA Insights
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Sourcing Gender and Sexuality Cases
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Developing Feminist Lawyers
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Litigating for Reproductive Justice
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Litigating Human Trafficking Cases
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ISLA in Francophone West Africa PAST EXPERIENCE, PRESENT LESSONS AND FUTURE STRATEGIES
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Strategic Litigation in Francophone West Africa COMPARATIVE REFLECTIONS ON LEGAL CONTEXT, SYSTEMS AND PRACTICE
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Trauma-informed Survivor Centred Lawyering Standards
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Reform Unit Engagement Paper
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AU Reforms Advocacy Brief CSO Engagement
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AU Reforms Briefing Note State Engagement
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Civil Society Organisations' Position Paper on AU Reform
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Comparative Perspectives on AU Reforms Processes
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Our Publications (French)

Former des avocates féministes, Preuve de Concept
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Recherche de Cas Sur le Genre et la Sexualite
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Plaider en Faveur de la Justice Reproductive
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LE CONTENTIEUX DE LA STÉRILISATION FORCÉE EN AFRIQUE
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Advocacy Brief CSO Engagement
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BRIEFING NOTE FOR STATE ENGAGEMENT
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Civil Society Organisations Position Paper on AU Reform
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Reform Unit Paper
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Comparative Perspectives on AU Reforms processes
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AU Refoms Advocacy Brief CSO Engagement French
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AU Reforms Briefing Note State Engagement French
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Civil Society Organisations' Position Paper on AU Reform-French
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Comparative Perspectives on AU Reforms Processes French
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Reform Unit Engagement Paper French
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Our Publications (Arabic)

Advocacy Brief CSO Engagement-ARABIC
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Comparative Perspectives on AU Reforms processes - ARABIC
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Civil Sociey Organisations Position Paper on AU Reform ARABIC
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Briefing Paper State Engagement ARABIC
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Reform Unit Paper- ARABIC
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Resources (Portuguese)

Advocacy Brief CSO Engagement
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BRIEFING NOTE FOR STATE ENGAGEMENT
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Civil Society Organisations' Position Paper on AU Reform
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Reform Unit Paper
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Comparative Perspectives on AU Reforms processes
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Articles

NGOs train law students on gender-sensitive litigation

Gala Times – Support and Solidarity
Public Engagements
About Us
Founded in 2014, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) is a Pan-African and feminist initiative with a timely remit: to strengthen strategic human rights litigation across the African continent. Essentially, we aim to change the way that strategic litigation is used so as to enable broader access to justice and to support those who seek to hold states accountable for violations of women’s human rights and sexual rights.
Contact Details
Contact Number:
+27 11 338 9028
Fax: +27 11 338 9029
Address: 87 de Korte Street,
South Point Corner, 7th Floor Braamfontein, 2017 Gauteng, South Africa