What can an analysis of power in local communities contribute to debates on women’s legal empowerment and the role of paralegals in Africa? Drawing upon theories of power and rights, and research on legal empowerment in African plural legal systems, this article explores the challenges for paralegals in facilitating women’s access to justice in Tanzania, which gave statutory recognition to paralegals in the Legal Aid Act 2017. Land conflicts represent the single-biggest source of local legal disputes in Tanzania and are often embedded in gendered land tenure relations. This article argues that paralegals can be effective actors in women’s legal empowerment where they are able to work as leaders, negotiating power relations and resisting the forms of violence that women encounter as obstacles to justice. Paralegals’ authority will be realised when their role is situated within community leadership structures, confirming their authority while preserving their independence.

中文翻译：

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社区中的权力和权利：律师助理作为坦桑尼亚妇女法律赋权的领导者

对当地社区的权力分析对非洲妇女的法律赋权和律师助理的作用的辩论有何贡献？本文借鉴权力和权利理论以及对非洲多元法律体系中法律赋权的研究，探讨了坦桑尼亚律师助理在促进妇女获得司法救助方面面临的挑战，该法案在 2017 年《法律援助法》中对律师助理进行了法定承认。 土地冲突代表了坦桑尼亚地方法律纠纷的最大单一来源，并且通常嵌入在性别化的土地所有权关系中。本文认为，律师助理可以成为妇女法律赋权的有效参与者，她们能够担任领导者、谈判权力关系并抵制妇女遇到的作为司法障碍的暴力形式。