About ALAC

Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) reject the notion that people are apathetic in the face of corruption. Rather, they demonstrate that they will become involved in the fight against corruption when they are provided with simple, credible and viable mechanisms for doing so. Started in 2003 by three National Chapters (NCs) - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Romania - there are now twenty-three ALACs operating in fifteen countries. The ALACs have received well over 25,000 contacts from citizens. The number of ALACs is expected to increase in the coming years and to spread beyond the Europe and Central Asia region where they were pioneered. Already two ALACs are operating in Africa - in Kenya and Zambia, and soon two in the Americas- in Guatemala and Haiti. ALAC was launched in Pakistan on 25th March, 2009. The rationale behind ALAC is that the fight against corruption will be more effective if citizens are involved (anti-corruption work not limited to ‘experts’). Secondly, engaging directly with citizens provides a deeper understanding as to how corruption works in practice (information not always available from surveys). Lastly, reflecting the real experiences of people enhances the legitimacy of advocacy campaigns (grounded in the concerns of the population; not just TI ‘opinion’).

The rationale behind ALAC is that the fight against corruption will be more effective if citizens are involved (anti-corruption work not limited to ‘experts’). Secondly, engaging directly with citizens provides a deeper understanding as to how corruption works in practice (information not always available from surveys). Lastly, reflecting the real experiences of people enhances the legitimacy of advocacy campaigns (grounded in the concerns of the population; not just TI ‘opinion’).

What is ALAC?

The Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre is a project run by Transparency International (TI) Pakistan. ALAC provides legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption. It helps citizens, residents and entrepreneurs, to pursue corruption-related complaints, encouraging them to come forward. The ALAC observes strict client confidentiality. The main goals of ALAC are to talk to people, help them to resolve their complaints or cases, and use the information to advocate for change through legal reforms. In the Transparency International multi-stakeholder tradition, it aims at creating dialogue, informal feedback, and working partnerships with government institutions charged with accountability. This centre provides legal assistance and counseling to the public on how to evaluate and lodge complaints in relation to potential corruption cases to the concerned authority or department such as Ombudsman’s Office or Accountability Office. ALAC assistance could be providing detailed recommendations or specific and concrete advice concerning the options available to the concerned citizen. Example: If an individual is a client, witnesses a wrongful situation at Lands Department where a public servant of this department has requested a specific additional amount of money to push forward his or her file for diligent approval, this individual could seek further advice through ALAC to determine the options available for further actions to resolve this corruption-related matter. Transparency International and ALAC seek to address this problem by providing citizens with assistance in filing and pursuing corruption related complaints. These cases are used to identify broader structural, institutional and legal weaknesses. Thus, the ALAC combine an empowerment/grass roots and structural approach in fighting corruption. This double-edged strategy is key to the success of the centres.

How ALAC works

Corruption Hotline: People receive initial advice and, where prima facie evidence of corruption exists, referral for further legal counseling.

Legal Advice: Citizens are helped to articulate, develop, file and pursue their complaints with the assistance of legal professionals employed by the centre.

Advocacy: Based on the cases presented to the centres, advocacy is carried out in terms of both raising awareness about the sectors and institutions which are the subject of most complaints.

Guidance: The ALAC also provides guidance to the citizens to interact with the other NGOs according to their complaints.

The core purpose of ALAC is to create awareness for rule of law in the country and also inform the citizens about their legal right and equip them to take action on cases of corruption that they have witnessed or been victim of.