Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik

Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik (ALFeLa) supports women and children in Timor-Leste to access a fair and formal justice system without discrimination through legal aid, legal education and advocacy.

Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik AND IWDA

IWDA’s partnership with ALFeLa began in July 2013. A 2014 scoping study supported by IWDA, found there was a gap in Timor Leste in provision of legal assistance for women seeking justice under the Labour Code.

Quick Facts

  • ALFeLa and other civil society organisations in Timor-Leste have spent years advocating and lobbying for a law to protect women from trafficking – the process to draft a law against Human Trafficking started in 2012. The Law Against Human Trafficking was finally approved by the Timor Leste Parliament in January 2017.
  • ALFeLa is the only organisation in Timor Leste focused on providing legal assistance to women and children, and the only organisation in a position to provide legal assistance on civil law matters, including cases related to the Labour Code.
  • In Timor-Leste, violence affects nearly 40% of women over 15 – yet according to ALFeLa’s research, both women and many of the duty-bearers who are responsible for implementing the law are largely unaware of their rights.