The overall objective of the action is strengthening women’s access to justice in line with international and European standards through rendering legal aid judicial services more gender-sensitive and accessible for women, increasing the awareness and knowledge among key stakeholders to support women's access to justice, improving local mechanisms to provide legal support and services for women and increasing legal awareness among women, especially those in vulnerable situations, to empower them to claim their rights and report violations.

 Women, including from vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, are more aware of their rights and of how to resort to available remedies and services
 Increased awareness and knowledge among key legal professionals on gender responsive and victim-centred support to women’s access to justice
 Enhanced quality and gender responsiveness of legal aid services
 Fostered co-operation among key stakeholders and local support networks
 Tools, programmes and materials developed by civil society organisations to support and promote women’s access to justice

Budget: 1 000 000 EUR

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to around 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Division Website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/genderequality/co-operation-projects

Horizontal Facility Website: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/horizontal-facility/home

 Horizontal Facility E-mail Address: horizontal.facility@coe.int

 Union of Turkish Bar Associations
 Bar associations and legal aid bureaus
 University law faculties and law students
 Civil society organisations active in promoting women's rights and gender equality
 Municipalities
 Women in Türkiye, particularly those in a vulnerable and disadvantaged situation facing difficulties in accessing justice, legal aid, legal assistance and information

The action builds on the results of co-operation under the previous Horizontal Facility action – “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey” and continues to build local capacity to achieve a gender responsive legal aid and establish local networks to support and inform women in their access to available remedies, services and to justice.

It works through capacity building of legal professionals to increase women’s access to legal aid services and improve the quality and gender sensitivity of these services. The action facilitates dialogue among key stakeholders and promotes multi-stakeholder partnerships to support women as well as empowering women, including from vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, to claim their rights and report violations by supporting civil society organisations.

The concrete activities of the action as such include delivery of training to legal aid lawyers, law students and civil society organisations on women’s access to justice and strategic litigation. Another important activity is funding the gender-sensitive legal aid to women by trained lawyers through a sub-granting scheme. Civil society organisations are supported in awareness raising activities in the field of women’s human rights and access to justice also through grant schemes. The action organises trainings on legal literacy  aiming at empowering women to claim their rights and create synergies among relevant stakeholders through regional workshops.

About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkan’s Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.