Lawyers for Human Rights
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is a left-of-center South Africa-based nonprofit that advocates in areas including migration, gender equality, housing policy, environmental policy, and penal reform. The group received over $3 million from the Ford Foundation between 2007 and 2024. 1 2
Contents
In September 2025, LHR advocated on behalf of a transgender inmate, seeking a court directive to provide gender-reassignment treatment to the inmate and to house the individual in either an individual cell or in a shared cell with those of the gender with which the inmate claims to identify. 3
Background
Lawyers for Human Rights is a left-of-center South Africa-based NGO that advocates on issues including migration, gender equality, housing policy, environmental policy, and penal reform. The group maintains offices and law clinics in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban. 1
Activities
Lawyers for Human Rights runs six programs focused on human rights issues including land and housing, environmental rights, gender equality, penal reform, strategic litigation, and refugee and migrant rights. 1
As part of its Refugee and Migrant Rights program, LHR claims to advocate against xenophobia through civil education, and offers legal representation to asylum seekers. The group also claims to work towards the incorporation of “undocumented and stateless people” in state systems. 4 5
As part of its Penal Reform program, LHR claims to advocate against torture and the ill-treatment of inmates. The group also advocates for stronger oversight of prisons and claims in some cases to provide legal services. In September 2025, LHR advocated on behalf of a transgender inmate, seeking a court directive to provide gender-reassignment treatment to the inmate and to house the individual in either an individual cell or in a shared cell with those of the gender with which the inmate claimed to identify. 6 3
As part of its Environmental Rights program, LHR advocates and litigates for environmentalist policies, especially regarding potential human rights violations in “extractive spaces.” 7
As part of its Gender Equality program, LHR advocates on behalf of women and LGBT individuals, stating that it “understand[s] that ‘gender’ is diverse and non-binary.” 8
Funding
Between 2007 and 2024, the Ford Foundation gave over $3 million to Lawyers for Human Rights. 2
In 2022, the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund gave $50,000 to LHR, as well as $50,000 in 2021. 9
Other funders of LHR include the Claude Leon Foundation, the Constitutionalism Fund, The Other Foundation, Terre des Hommes, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the RAITH Foundation, Investec, Porticus, GlobalGiving, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the ELMA Foundation, the European Commission, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the UN Fund for Victims of Torture. 10
People
As of October 2025, Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh was listed as a member of the board of Lawyers for Human Rights. Ramjathan-Keogh is the director of the Africa Programme at the International Commission of Jurists. Previously, Ramjathan-Keogh was the executive director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, the program manager of LHR’s Refugees and Migrants Rights program, and a program officer for the International Organization for Migration, part of the United Nations. 11