The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), in collaboration with the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), has been implementing a project under the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS) partnership, whose goal is to reduce incidences of HIV and manage AIDS cases among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in the highest HIV burden countries, among which is Tanzania. The project, dubbed, ‘Integrating Legal Empowerment and Social Accountability for Quality HIV Health Services for Adolescent Girls and Young Women,’ currently being implemented in Shinyanga and Kahama Districts in Tanzania, also seeks to address systemic inequalities and obstacles in accessing health services and in protection against GBV.

This handbook, which is one of the tools that will be used to empower lawyers and activists in the protection of rights and holding of service providers to account, is prepared in line with different laws, policies and national plans, including the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act of 2008 and other laws governing criminal and civil matters in Tanzania. The aim of this handbook is to equip lawyers and activists with information on how to effectively provide legal services and litigation support on issues relating to HIV and AIDS and GBV. The handbook should be read as a whole together with cited statutes and materials for its full import to be appreciated. It is hoped that the resources provided here will enable lawyers, activists and other legal service providers to offer effective legal assistance to HIV afflicted AGYW, whose rights have been violated, either in the context of being discriminated against (e.g. through denial of services or other entitlements), or in the context of being subjected to GBV. In the end, it is hoped that the AGYW themselves will be empowered to take action for protecting their own rights and standing up for others in like positions, especially those living with HIV and AIDS and also subjected to GBV.