An understanding of basic human rights in the third world is not enough without access to a recourse for justice, says Sara Chandler

Thoughts about Rwanda have been uppermost during the recent events marking the tenth year since the horrific massacres took place while the nations that could have prevented violence withdrew from the area.

I returned from Uganda recently, where I met Ugandan lawyers building a programme to strengthen legal aid provision.

Building legal aid in the post-Idi Amin period was always going to be a huge challenge for the Ugandan economy.

Some 25 years later, the challenge is even greater with little support from nations that can help the reconstruction of a civil society.

Where do the developed nations stand on funding to African countries for access to justice? Pretty far back from the line is the answer.

Take the example of the Uganda Law Society's legal aid project - legal aid and access to justice being an essential component of democracy.

The project, built over the past ten years, is funded by the Norwegian bar.

Since 2002, the international department of the Law Society of England and Wales has worked constantly in support of the legal aid project and obtained funding for a capacity building programme from the European Commission and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

A number of local law societies in England and Wales have also made a contribution in Africa through twinning relationships - for example, Newcastle Law Society with the Rift Valley Law Society in Kenya, Huddersfield Law Society with the Uganda Law Society, and South London Law Society with the Zambia Law Association.

While I was in Uganda, a terrible massacre took place in the north eastern area of Lira.

More than 190 people were killed - hacked to death or burnt alive in a rebel attack on a displaced persons' camp for refugees whose villages had already been destroyed.

The rebels - the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) - have run a campaign of terror for more than ten years, often kidnapping children to create more soldiers for their ranks.

The LRA continues to obtain arms and has close links with groups in Sudan.

Refugee camps are not properly protected; the Ugandan army is unable to stop the attacks.

The UK's Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, recently visited the area.

Whether this will result in prevention of more terrorism remains to be seen.

Will the United Nations stand back and allow further massacres?

Since the Law Society's involvement with the legal aid project, a service providers' network has sprung up and has been awarded funding to implement a nationwide survey.

Recently, volunteer teams of legal aid lawyers and law students have been carrying out the survey to ascertain who provides legal aid services and what gaps exist.

There are only 12 lawyers employed by the legal aid project, for a country with a population of 20 million.

However, the initial results of the study show that organisations in some areas have built networks to spread rights awareness for the population.

Legal aid lawyers know that rights advice is insufficient without representation for clients in courts and tribunals.

People understand they have rights, but lack access to justice to pursue them.

While Uganda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, there are high levels of poverty and low levels of literacy.

Extending access and ensuring quality legal aid will contribute to the spread of basic human rights.

Lawyers are in the forefront of obtaining justice, so let's call on developed nations to extend support to the fledgling Ugandan civil society with access to justice for all.

Sara Chandler is a senior supervising solicitor at the College of Law legal advice centre and Law Society Council member for the voluntary sector