The treatment action campaign and the three dimensions of lawyering: Reflections from the rainbow nation

Abstract

The spread and perpetuation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa has hindered the country’s social and economic growth after apartheid. This paper documents my experiences while working with the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office and specifically my interactions with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), an organization which has taken a multidimensional approach in order to educate people about HIV/AIDS and attempt to provide access to medicines for millions of South Africans afflicted with the disease. I discuss how TAC has used both traditional and non-traditional methods of advocacy to combat the epidemic and equate access to health care to a social justice issue by empowering marginalized communities. The paper’s dual purpose is to applaud TAC’s continuous success in combating HIV/AIDS with such a multidimensional approach and illustrate how other organizations can utilize such an approach in order to affect social change. To illustrate TAC’s approach, I utilize Lucie White’s three dimensions of lawyering and equate TAC to a single cause lawyer, signifying that White’s characterization of multi-dimensional activism is not limited to individuals, but can rather be applied at the firm level. White’s three dimensions include: (a) advocacy through litigation, (b) advocacy in stimulating progressive change, and (c) advocacy as a pedagogic process. From this analysis, I conclude that TAC’s multi-dimensional approach and specifically its inherent practice of White’s three dimensions has been the root of its success in educating millions about the virus and advocating for access to medicines for those who have contracted HIV. TAC’s innovative advocacy has also mobilized a new generation of South African activists who have helped TAC grow into a vibrant and integral organization within the country’s post-apartheid culture. Such an example can serve as a framework for future organizations who wish to tackle other challenges that face the country.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa, PAHRO, activism