Here are the nine finalists for Innovating Justice Challenge 2019 in Southern Africa

The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) has announced the finalists of its 2019 Innovating Justice Challenge in Southern Africa.

HiiL said in a statement on Tuesday (1 October) that given the recent focus on gender-based violence in Southern Africa, the organisation is excited with the strong focus across the board from participants on issues of domestic violence, employment rights and family matters that disproportionately affect women.

Two of the finalists include a SA digital platform which has helped thousands of women who are in abusive and controlling relationships with non-judgemental support and a project that promotes rights awareness for women through strategic partnerships and community building.

The Southern Africa regional final will take place on 7 November at The Impact Hub, Johannesburg.

HiiL’s 2019 Innovating Justice Challenge in Southern Africa is one of four regional events taking place in Africa

The event is one of four events taking place across Africa, and is supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery to scout the next generation of promising justice innovations preventing or resolving people’s most pressing justice needs.

Finalists will pitch their ground-breaking innovations to a jury of international experts who will choose the “best three”.

The best top three finalists will gain acceptance into HiiL’s Justice Accelerator and can receive up to €20 000 in grant funding and potential third-party investment.

In addition, winners can tap tailored training and business development support and access to HiiL’s international network of experts and global exposure.

Meet the finalists:

For the children’s sake: Children fair better in family disputes when mediation is available. This group of professional mediators and members of the Wynberg Magistrates Court currently offer families pro-bono mediation services to resolve disputes in the best interests of the children, and will introduce its proven methodology to other courts throughout the country.

LawBasket: A first for Zimbabwe, LawBasket provides add-on legal protection for insurance customers, delivering legal services through an online platform of freelance lawyers worldwide.

The Legal Team: A comprehensive portal for small to medium businesses, The Legal Team offers a
startup toolkit to guide emerging entrepreneurs through their legal, regulatory and compliance needs.

LegalFundi: Drawing on decades of experience in the paralegal sector, LegalFundi guides individuals and businesses who cannot afford professional advice through legal process flows. It also provides access to essential documents with both a free and paid for service.

Masenze Strategic Advisors: An easy-to-use chatbot that is designed to simplify and translate legal information
into local languages and make it useful for individuals. Masenze deals with issues such as employment or family law, or interacting with the government.

My Will Online: The majority of South Africans die intestate, leaving families locked up in red tape when dealing with their estate. Using My Will Online, people can create and maintain their Last Will and Testament via a web portal or mobile app.

Rainbow: Tackling one of South Africa’s most pressing justice issues, Rainbow  is a digital companion which has helped thousands of women who are in abusive and controlling relationships with non-judgemental support.

Schoeman Law Inc: An established law firm with a track record in assisting small businesses, Schoeman Law has created a low-cost, self-serve platform for automated contracting. Using its technology, agreements can be built in a few minutes and at 10% of usual rates.

The Warrior Project: Aimed at reducing the incidence of domestic and gender-based violence in South Africa, The Warrior Project promotes rights awareness for women through strategic partnerships and community building, together with a comprehensive directory of resources designed to turn victims into Warriors.